


The Width of a Circle

by Noname_Kat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Discussion of Abortion, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mentions of non-con, Road Trip, Swan-Mills Family (Once Upon a Time), Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2020-10-09 05:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20512820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noname_Kat/pseuds/Noname_Kat
Summary: Everyone knows Emma's marriage isn't the happy ending she was expecting. When it finally starts to crumble, Regina is there to help Emma pick up the pieces. With the discovery of both their feelings going beyond friendship...how will their new-found relationship survive the news that Emma is pregnant?





	1. at our own pace

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

It was just another typical dull day in Storybrooke, Maine. Life had settled down since the last big bad had come to town. No one predicted that a damn little bunny that sounded eerily like Snow White would turn out to be a serial killer, but crazy things always seemed to happen in this odd small coastal town.

Regina entered the diner and looked around for her son. They had agreed to meet up for Sunday breakfast. Henry had spent his entire spring break week out sailing with his other mother and her god awful husband. She spotted her beloved son in their usual back booth. Stopping dead in her tracks, Regina couldn’t prevent a scowl from forming on her face when she spotted Emma and Killian sitting in the booth as well. Emma and Killian had been married for just over five years now, and she still hated everything about it. Emma had never been the same since they had all gone to hell…

“Mom!” She turned her scowl into a smile as Henry waved her over. She couldn’t believe her little prince was graduating from high school in a few months.

“Hello, Henry.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead before she slid into the booth beside him. She didn’t care how old he was. He’d always be her little prince. “Emma. Killian…” She looked over at the couple and took in their sour-faced looks. Emma attempted a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “How was the boat trip?”

“Ehh…” Henry looked over at his other mother and seemed to think better of whatever he was going to say. “It was good. The weather was amazing.” Regina knew she’d have to ask him more about it when they were alone later. Henry had been spending most of his time at the mansion over the past couple of years. He had claimed it was because it was easier to focus on his studies, but Regina knew the real reason. Henry just wasn’t very fond of being around Killian. He’d put up with the pirate for Emma, but he just didn’t like the guy very much.

“Sorry to crash your breakfast, but we are starving! Someone didn’t stock enough food…”

“Now, now, Love. There’s no reason to bring it up, yet again.” Killian interrupted Emma, and the blonde slumped back down into her seat. Regina clenched her fist and resisted the urge to kill the bastard on the spot.

“We had plenty of rum, though…” Regina couldn’t help but smirk at her son's mumbled words. 

Luckily the food was delivered before any more awkwardness occurred. The breakfast conversation was limited to Henry’s upcoming graduation and his post-graduation plans. The young man was still adamant he’d be leaving Storybrooke to explore other realms. Regina was having none of that talk. He was still much too young to be realm jumping by himself.

“But, Mom…”

“Don’t, but Mom, me, Henry. We’ve discussed this at length. You don’t have to go to college right away, but you will not be traveling to other realms alone. Besides, we don’t even have a way to open any portals.” Henry opened his mouth to argue, but Regina was not having it. “End of discussion.”

“Stop babying him, your Majesty.” Regina glared over at Killian’s sudden words. “He’s a man now, and you have no say in what he does with his life.” Regina glanced over to Emma and noted her wide eyes at Killian’s tone. Yet, the blonde said nothing.

“Hook don’t…” Regina looked over at her son and saw that his jaw was clenched tight. “I don’t want or need your help.”

Hook leaned in closer, but before he could speak his mind, Emma grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. She shook her head at him when he glared back at her. Regina thought that’d be the end of it, but the one-handed wonder wasn’t done being the fucking idiot he was…

“No. I’m done standing back and watching the Queen ruin the lad's life!” He shrugged off Emma’s hand and stood up to tower above them all. “As the boy’s father, I should have a say!” Regina was pretty sure she heard the entire diner audibly gasp. “Stop pampering him and let him finally become a real man! You two are doing him no favors by keeping him on a leash!”

The fireball was in Regina’s hand before Killian even finished his last sentence. The former Evil Queen was about to fry the pirate’s face when Emma reached out and gently grasped her wrist. “I’ll take care of it, Regina.” She watched as the savior reached over and roughly grabbed Hook’s elbow. The two vanished into a cloud of white smoke. For a small moment, Regina thought she might have spotted a spark in Emma’s eyes she hadn’t seen in a very long time…

* * *

“And then they just poofed away?” Snow sipped her tea as she looked over at Regina with wide eyes. 

“Yes.” Regina took a sip of her tea as she thought back to what had happened at the diner earlier that morning. Hook, being an asshole was nothing new, but Emma finally doing something about it was.

“Maybe I should call her…” Regina shook her head and reached over and grasped Snow’s hand.

“You know as well as I do that, that’s not a good idea.” The first couple of years of Emma and Hook's marriage had seemed relatively normal. The last few had been odd. Emma had become very defensive when it came to anything to do with Hook. If anyone said anything negative about the pirate, Emma would snap at them. As a result, people had started to distance themselves from the Sheriff. Regina included, she hated it, but Emma just wasn’t the same person she had been before her marriage.

“I know.. I miss her. Which is weird because she hasn’t gone anywhere.” Snow wiped at a stray tear that had escaped her eye. Even Snow and David had pulled back from Emma. Everything was just so awkward.

Regina wasn’t sure what to say, so the pair just sat in silence for a moment. The sound of Regina’s phone vibrating finally broke up the silence. She glanced at her screen and smiled. “Henry and Neal are going to get some ice cream before they head back.” The two boys had headed out for some ‘guy’ time while their mom’s had tea. It warmed Regina’s heart to see Henry take such good care of his...uncle. Ugh, it was still all so weird sometimes.

“I’m so happy they get along so well...” Snow got a faraway look in her eyes.

“What are you thinking, Snow White?” Snow looked at Regina with wide eyes, like she had just been caught doing something she shouldn’t be doing. “I know that look better than anyone. Spill.”

“You, of all people, should also know not to ask me to spill other people’s secrets...” Snow couldn’t look Regina in the eye. Regina felt a bit guilty for prying.

“I’m sorry, Snow. You’re right. That was very forward of me…” 

“It’s okay. I know there’s a weird line now between friendly gossip and trust. It’s all very confusing.” The two shared a small smile. “So how are the road trip plans going?”

“Nice subject change, dear.” Snow side-eyed Regina and smirked. “We have all the plans finalized. We managed to make the last reservations we needed before Henry took off on his boating trip.”

“Still doing the trip up the coast?”

“Yes. We both realized we hadn’t seen much of Maine. So we’re going to start in Portland and head up Highway 1 and visit all the small coastal towns.”

“Storybrooke not small and coastal enough for you?” The teasing tone of Snow’s voice made Regina chuckle.

“Something like that. It will just be nice to go on a relaxing road trip. We’ve done Boston and New York… Usually out of necessity, rather than fun. It’ll be nice to go explore at our own pace.”

“It sounds lovely. You’ll both have a fantastic time, I’m sure.” Snow got that distant look in her eyes again. It seemed that talking about Henry was bringing about the look. Regina had a feeling she knew what it was all about but didn’t push.

“Hey, Mom!” Henry and Neal came stumbling into the kitchen.

“Hello, boys. Did you have a fun guys afternoon?” Regina was surprised when Neal climbed up into her lap. The young boy was getting a bit big for this, but he always did love attention — typical Charming.

“We did! We practice sword fighting around the pond!” Neal smiled brightly showing off his missing two front teeth. 

“You did? How exciting!” Regina reached out and cleaned some ice cream off of the sugar rushed child’s face.”Was the ice cream your reward for winning the duel?”

“I don’t know what a dool is, but I did win!” They all laughed at Neal’s silliness as he held his arms above his head in victory.

“Okay, Champ. Say your thanks to Henry. We need to get back to the farm and help your Dad with chores.” Everyone said their goodbyes and Regina couldn’t help but notice Snow seemed to hug Henry a little bit tighter than usual before she left.

“I’m not sure what is going on between you and your Grandmother, but just remember you can always talk to me?” Regina couldn’t help but feel sad about being left out of whatever was happening…

“I…” Henry stopped and got a serious look on his face. “I have a magic bean.”

“You what?!” Regina hoped she heard him wrong.

“I have a magic bean. It was given to me as a gift. From Grandpa…”

“David gave you a magic bean?!” Where would the damn shepherd get a magic bean?!

“Not that Grandpa…”

“The fucking Imp! Of course!” If he were still in town, Regina would kill him.

“Don’t be mad!”

“How did Snow find out about it?” How did that woman have such a knack for finding out information before anyone else?

“He gave it to me at the diner before he and Belle left. She walked in and saw him hand it to me. I asked her not to tell you.”

“She didn’t, by the way. Don’t hold this against her.” She didn’t want him to be mad at Snow.

“I won’t. I promise. I was going to tell you!” His shoulders slumped, and he took a deep breath. “I was going to tell you on the road trip and try…”

“To convince me to let you go off realm jumping?!”

“Maybe?”

“Does your mother know about it?”

“No…”

Regina paced back and forth. She ran her hand through her hair as she thought about what to say. “Okay.”

“Okay?” She saw a glimmer of hope spark in his eyes.

“I trust you not to do anything rash before we get a chance to discuss this further on our trip?” Henry nodded. “We will need to tell Emma.” Again Henry nodded. “No one other than you and Snow knows about this bean, correct?” Henry opened his mouth to respond, but Regina cut him off. “Well, other than David, of course. There’s no way she hasn’t told him...” She rolled her eyes and smiled at her son. “I do not agree with anything. I just agree to discuss it further on our trip. Okay?”

“Right.” He smiled back at her.

“Make sure no one else learns of its existence. Some people in this town would love to get a hold of a magic bean.” They never did find out what happened to Tiny. Regina now wondered if Rumple didn’t have something to do with the giants sudden disappearance from Storybrooke a few years ago. 

“It’s in a safe place.”

“Okay. Is all your homework caught up?” She saw the relief on Henry’s face as she shifted the conversation away from the magic bean.

“Yeah. I managed to get it all done on the boat.” Regina paused when she heard Henry bring up the boat trip again. Should she ask him about it? She didn’t even need to ask as Henry kept on with the subject. “Speaking of the boat. It was awful.” Regina motioned for Henry to sit as she made her way to the fridge. He smiled up at her as she returned with a can of soda. “Thanks.”

“Tell me about the trip, sweetheart.” She watched as Henry opened the can of soda and took a sip. His forehead scrunched up in concentration as he decided where to start.

“It started well enough. Mom seemed happier than I have seen her in a while. She was excited to get away from town and being sheriff for a bit. I heard her talking to Killian before we left and he had promised not to drink, and he didn’t. The first two days…” Henry fell back in his chair. “On day three, Mom noticed that the food supply was pretty low. She asked Killian if there was more food someplace and he just snapped at her and started yelling at her that it was her responsibility as the woman to stock up the food.” Henry’s grip tightened around his soda can causing some to spill out.

“Don’t worry about it. Keep going.” Regina stood and grabbed a paper towel.

“They went below deck when they saw me watching. I could still hear them arguing, though. Mom came back up after a bit. She tried to put on a happy face, but I could see she was just exhausted.” Henry started slowly shredding the paper towel. “We took an inventory of all the food and planned out the meals for the next few days. We knew we’d need to catch a few fish to make it the entire trip, but we managed.” Henry smiled.

“I’m glad you both could work together to plan everything out.” Regina was doing her best not to let her anger show. The pirate was her primary cause of anger, but Emma’s need to stay with the idiot was becoming too much.

“Hook was worthless after the fight. He just started drinking and didn’t stop…”

“I’m so sorry, Henry.”

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Why doesn’t Emma do anything to stop him?” Regina nearly audibly gasped at hearing Henry refer to his mother by her name.

“It’s not as simple as that Henry. He has a problem…”

“No! This is not just about his drinking problem, and we both know it!” Henry stood up, and his chair flew back behind him. Regina stood as well, but let him have his moment. “He’s toxic! He’s changed her! She’s not the same person she was when I brought her to Storybrooke!”

“People change, Henry.” Even Regina cringed at her words…

“I hate him! I hate what he’s turned her into! I… I can’t stand myself for bringing her into the crappy life she’s living!” Tears started streaming down Henry’s face. Regina rushed over to him, and he fell into her arms and sobbed.

“Oh, sweetheart. It’s not your fault.” She held him tight as he continued to cry. “Emma is an adult who is responsible for her actions.” She pulled back and grabbed his chin and looked him right in the eyes. “We’ve all tried talking to her. She’s shut us all out, dear. At the end of the day, only Emma can help herself.” Regina wrapped him back up in a tight hug. In the back of her mind, Regina couldn’t help but wonder if she wasn’t doing enough for Emma either…

Henry pulled back and wiped at his tear-streaked face. Regina watched as the embarrassed teenager took over his senses. “I’m going to go lay down. It’s been a long week…” 

“Okay, sweetheart. Talk to me whenever you need to okay?” Henry nodded silently and left the room.

Regina stood there for a moment at a loss as to what to do next. The sudden familiar feeling of magic being used behind her made Regina turn around suddenly. She wandered out into the hall and held her hand out to feel for a magic signature. As soon as she felt it, her heart dropped.

“Oh, Emma…”

  
  
  
  



	2. the subject of hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Regina sipped her coffee as she read over the Storybrooke Mirror. The paper was pretty much trash, but it was something to do as she sat in Grannys. She was hoping to catch Emma when she came in for her usual morning coffee and bear claw. After feeling Emma’s magic signature at the mansion the day before, Regina had tried calling the sheriff several times. There was never a response. The sound of the front door being loudly slammed open made her lookup. She rolled her eyes as she saw an angry pirate making his way toward her.

“Where is she?!” Killian got right into her face, and all Regina could smell was rum. She used a tiny bit of magic to shove him back. She really wanted to throw him through the front window but knew Granny would never forgive her.

“What are you going off about, Hook?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, your majesty!” He took another step at Regina, and she raised a cautionary hand. “Emma! Where is she! She wasn’t home when I awoke this morning, and she’s not answering my calls!’

“Do I look like your wife’s babysitter?” Regina tried to hide the concern she had for Emma from her face. If the pirate sensed she was worried about Emma, he’d be even more insufferable. 

“She always runs to you when she’s upset!”

“And why would she be upset?” Regina knew why she probably was upset, but she highly doubted Emma told him the things she most likely heard Henry saying in the kitchen.

“It’s none of your business.”

“You made it my business when you got in my face! Now spill, Pirate!”

“Just a small lovers quarrel. Nothing for you to be worried about…”

“Yes. Because you seem so very calm about the entire situation right now.” Regina stood and walked out the front door. The pirate followed closely behind her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to go try and fix whatever mess you’ve made.”

“Not without me!”

“Go cool off!” Regina waved her arm and Hook disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. She pulled out her cell phone and texted David. She let him know the pirate would be cooling off in one of the padded cells of the hospital and only to let him out when she gave the okay. Her phone immediately lit up with a call from Snow, and she sent it to voicemail. She didn’t have time to explain everything to the Charmings right now. She needed to find Emma.

* * *

The locator spell did its job quickly. Regina found Emma in a very unexpected location, Rumple’s cabin in the woods.

“What did you use to track me down?” Emma didn’t look back at Regina as she entered the cabin’s front door. The blonde was knelt in front of the fireplace poking at the logs with a stick.

“You left your sweatshirt at the mansion the last time you joined us for dinner...”

“That was a while ago…” It had been quite a while ago. Possibly even over a year? Regina couldn’t ever bring herself to return the left-behind item. It had become her favorite thing to lounge around in on lazy Sunday afternoons. Not that she’d let Emma know that.

“I miss coming over for dinners...” Emma was still staring at the fire. 

“Why did you stop?” Regina took a few tentative steps forward and slowly slid off her jacket. The cabin was swelteringly hot. She took a seat on a chair behind Emma but didn’t push the conversation anymore. She wanted Emma to open up without being forced to.

“I honestly don’t know.” Emma suddenly stood and turned to look at Regina. The blonde’s eyes were red and puffy. It was apparent she had been crying. Her green eyes looked at Regina intensely. “I know you sensed when I poofed out of the mansion yesterday…” Regina couldn’t help but smile inwardly at Emma’s adorable word choices. “I had let myself in the front door. I was about to enter the kitchen when I heard Henry say my name with such disdain. Then I was stunned when he raised his voice at you... It was so unlike him. I just stopped in my tracks and listened.”

“Emma, I’m sorry…”

“No. You don’t need to be sorry.” She turned back around and looked into the fire again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve let everyone down, yet again.”

Regina stood and grasped Emma’s elbow, turning her around. “You’ve done no such thing.”

“Haven’t I? My son hates me…”

“He doesn’t hate you, Emma. He’s worried about you… We all are.”

“I’m sorry for what Hook said at the diner yesterday…”

“Never apologize for that idiot.”

“I don’t see him like that, you know?”

“An idiot?”

“No." A small smirk appeared at the corner of Emma's mouth, but it quickly disappeared. "As Henry’s father. I’ve never once led him to believe he was that to Henry. Or that he had any say in Henry’s life. He just decided that all on his own. It was a horrible overstep. He had no right.”

“Is that why you came to the mansion yesterday?”

“We fought. Of course, we fought. Killian shouldn’t have spoken to you like that, and I told him as much. He disagreed loudly. There were words and lamps thrown. I needed to get away from him. He was so angry. I went to the one place I knew I’d be safe…”

Regina’s heart crumpled at Emma’s sad words. “You know you are safe with us? Emma? Henry was venting his frustrations...as was I.” Regina couldn’t remember exactly what she said in the heat of the moment, but she was sure some of it wasn’t favorable to the blonde.

“I know, but my life shouldn’t be causing my son and his mother frustration.” Emma walked past Regina and sat on the couch. She looked so defeated.

Joining her on the couch, Regina put a tentative hand on her shoulder. “I’ve told this to you before, but you know you’re too good for Killian, right?” Regina braced herself for the pushback that’d she’d been getting from Emma over the past few years. It didn’t come, so she kept on the subject. “You’ve done everything to help him. He’s the one that’s at fault here, not you.”

“But he’s my responsibility.”

“How? He’s his own person, Emma. You’re not responsible for the things he does or doesn’t do.” It killed Regina to hear Emma say Hook was her responsibility.

“I am responsible, though!” Emma again stood up and started pacing the room.

“Why are you so adamant about this?” Regina could feel she was close to a breakthrough.

“Because… I brought him back.” Emma whispered the words so quietly that Regina almost missed them. Why did it always seem to come back to Hell?

“Emma. You did what you felt was best.” The subject of Hell would always be a sore subject. Those that went rarely, if ever, spoke of it.

“Exactly!” Emma turned to face Regina with wide tear-filled eyes. “** _I_ ** did what ** _I_ ** felt was right! I was selfish!” Was the answer to everything they’d seen Emma going through the last few years really that simple? Guilt over everyone going to Hell for her?

“We chose to go with you, Emma. We’ve talked about this before.”

“You’ve also called me selfish before...”

“I was hurting.”

“Because my actions lead to Robin’s death.”

“Robin’s bravery and sacrifice lead to his death. Don’t take that away from him.” Regina still had her own lingering guilt to deal with when it came to Robin. She’d was damned if she would let Emma claim it as her own. “I deal with that guilt. Not you. Only, I’m doing it like an adult, and talking to Archie regularly!” Regina knew Emma hadn’t gone to see the cricket in years.

Emma sat back on the couch beside Regina. The blonde leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, putting her head in her hands.

Regina tried to calm her nerves. This conversation was not going as... Well, she never did know how it would go, she supposed. “Okay, you know what? I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’m going to put some shit out on the table, okay?” Emma grunted, and Regina took a deep breath. “You still carry a lot of guilt for taking us all to Hell for Hook...I get that. I think that guilt has only grown worse over the last five years because, frankly, you don’t love him.” Regina again braced herself for some sort of backlash. The sound of Emma crying confirmed her theory.

Emma fell back into the couch and covered her face with her arms. “I did love him. I truly did. Or, I guess, I had convinced myself I did anyways…” Her arms fell to her sides, and she looked to the sky in thought. “The ‘True Love’ test Hades sent us on? I thought that sealed the deal.”

Regina couldn’t hold in her scoff. “You and I both know Leroy could have been the one on fire, and you would have done the same damn thing, Emma! You're the Savior for crying out loud!” Regina had held her tongue for years about that damned ‘True Love’ test Hades sent them on… Snow had loved to share the story way too much. “Hades would have done anything to get out of there! And he did! I’m not even sure that the True Love’s Kiss with Zelena was real.”

“They had to send him back for a reason, though? Why would they send him back to me if we weren't meant to be?”

“Because the Gods are assholes?! Have they ever done anything that makes sense? You’ve watched Xena! You know how they are...” Regina bit her tongue and waited to see if her attempt at humor would help the situation or make it worse. 

Emma just stared at Regina for a beat and broke out laughing. “I can’t believe you just brought up Xena: The Warrior Princess during such a heavy conversation!” Emma's body crashed into Regina’s side, surprising her. The blonde’s head fell onto Regina’s shoulder. “I feel like such a fuck-up, Regina.” 

Wrapping her arm around the savior, Regina pulled her in tight. The brunette let her cheek rest against Emma’s head. “You are the furthest thing from a fuck-up, Emma Swan. You are strong and brave. If you’re guilty of anything, it’s that you always put everyone else’s well being before your own.” 

“What’s the deal with Gods anyway? Like how does that work?" Regina smiled down at Emma.

“I would guess that they’re some sort of over-powered magic users from some long lost realm. They probably got scattered across worlds after destroying their own doing something stupid…” Regina’s mind went to Henry and his desire to explore the other realms.

“Regina? I don’t know what I should do...”

“Are you sure about that?” Regina needed Emma to make this decision on her own.

“Snow and David will be so disappointed in me.”

“They might surprise you.” Regina knew for a fact that their love for the pirate had definitely diminished over the last few months if not years.

“I’m supposed to be Hook’s happily ever after…”

“Fuck that.” Regina pulled back and looked into shining emerald eyes. “You gave him his shot, and he blew it. I won’t get into how I didn’t think he deserved it in the first place...” Emma smiled at her and rolled her eyes. “But you did your best. It’s time for you to take care of yourself.”

“I don’t know where to start?”

“You will move into the mansion,” Regina said it so casually she even surprised herself.

“What? Really?”

“Unless you’d prefer the farm with your parents?”

“No! I’m just...really?”

“Of course, Emma.”

“Thank you.” Emma suddenly looked so shy sitting there. “Hook is not going to like this…”

“The one-handed wonder will just have to come to terms with it. You have us all in your corner, Emma. Don’t doubt that for a second.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.” Regina smiled brightly at Emma. She was so proud of her. Emma returned the smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes like it used to, yet, but there was a small spark of hope there that Regina hadn’t seen in a very, very long time. 


	3. never trust a pirate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

“Do you have everything?” Regina looked down at the two bags Emma had brought out with a raised eyebrow.

“Everything that’s important to me, yes.” Emma opened up the front of the bug a threw the bags in.

“Okay, then. Let’s go home.” Regina’s heart skipped a beat as she said the words.

* * *

The sound of a group of boys cheering loudly greeted them when they walked into the mansion. 

“I’m sorry. I completely forgot Henry was having some friends over to play video games after school. I can send them away…” Emma gently grabbed Regina’s elbow before she could head into the front room.

“No, leave them be. They’re having fun.” Regina nodded and motioned towards the stairs. They made their way up, and Regina led them to the guestroom at the end of the hall. As they entered the room, Regina waved her hand, and the color scheme and decor of the room changed. “Wow.” Emma looked around the room and smiled.

“I thought this would be a bit more pleasing for you than a boring off-white guest room.” Regina could feel the blush rising on her cheeks. The room was made up of soft, warm hues. Most of which she knew were Emma’s favorites.

"Thank you. It’s perfect.” Emma sat her bags down on the bed and turned and looked back at Regina. “You promise I’m not going to be a bother?” Regina just gave her a look, and Emma held her hands up. “Okay, okay, not a bother, got it.”

“I’ll leave you to get settled. There’s an ensuite through that door, and there’s a closet in there…”

“Since when?” Emma looked at her with a questioning look.

“Hmm?”

“Regina I’ve stayed in this room before...there wasn’t a bathroom in there before.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… It’s always been there.” Again Regina could feel herself blush.

“What’s going on?” Regina and Emma both turned to see Henry enter the room with a confused look on his face. Regina turned to Emma and saw she had a look on her face like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Your mother is going to be staying with us for a while, Henry. Is that okay with you?” Henry looked right at his blonde mother and smiled.

“Please tell me you dumped him?!” The look of pure joy on Henry’s face made Regina cringe. Way to be subtle, sweetheart. 

Emma seemed to take it in stride though. “Not officially, yet. But yeah, kid. I’m leaving Killian.” Henry rushed forward and slammed in Emma and hugged her tightly. She returned the hug, and Regina could see a bit of relief cross the savior's face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t do it sooner...”

Henry shook his head but kept on hugging her. “It’s okay. You were doing what you thought was best. You always do.”

Regina slowly backed out of the room to let the pair have some privacy. She made her way downstairs and walked into the front room to check on the group of teenage boys playing Mario Kart. 

“Who wants pizza?!” She smiled brightly as they all cheered. 

* * *

“You finished your paper?”

“Yup!”

“Okay, you can go, but I want you back by eleven though.”

“Mom…”

“How about midnight?” Emma entered the room and went straight for the coffee pot.

“Fine. Midnight. No later, young man. Oh, and, Emma? If he’s late.” Regina made sure to give Emma a stern look. “I’m holding you personally responsible.” Emma winked at her before turning to Henry and giving him a fist-bump. Regina rolled her eyes and threw the dishtowel she had in her hand at them. “Two against one is hardly fair.”

“Well, technically, there are two of you…” Emma smirked as she brought her coffee cup up to her lips.

“Would you like me to call her Majesty and get her opinion on the matter?”

“NO!” The pair both grew wide-eyed at the thought.

“Didn’t think so…” Regina turned and continued washing the dishes from breakfast. The past month with Emma living with them had been incredible. They had all fallen into a routine that worked beautifully. It was all so...domestic. Regina couldn’t remember a time in her life where she felt so at ease.

“Can I help?” Emma slid in beside Regina and grabbed another dish towel and started to help dry.

“Thanks, dear.” The two worked in silence for a few moments. “Feeling better?” Emma had dismissed herself suddenly from the table earlier and rushed upstairs.

“Yeah, it must be that bug that’s been going around. I feel a lot much better now.” The blonde put the last dish away and turned back and smiled at Regina.

“Well, it obviously wasn't my cooking.” Regina reached out and took the dishtowel from Emma. As their hands touched, Regina felt a small surge of magic and shivered...

“Obviously...” The pair held each other's gaze for a moment. The sound of Emma’s phone buzzing caused them both to jump. “Ugh…” A deep frown appeared on the sheriffs face. 

Only one person could make Emma's face turn so sour. “The pirate, I assume?”

“Yeah…”

“I thought he was ‘leaving town, never to return again!’ or something along that line.” Hook did not take Emma leaving him well at all, to absolutely no one's surprise. Regina had been forced to put a protective spell around the mansion to keep the idiot from trying to break in. Then about two weeks ago he had suddenly backed off. The pirate made a public speech about how he was going to be leaving town. Regina was sure that it was some sort of trick, but then he was spotted getting the Jolly Roger prepped and ready for a long journey. He had even gathered up a crew. From what Regina had seen, it was mainly all the pirates that sailed with him before, including Smee.

“That’s why he sent the message. Today’s the day he’s setting sail. He wants me to come down and say goodbye...”

Regina had to bite her lip before she said something too off-colored. “Do you want to?”

“I dunno… Maybe seeing him leave will give me like some closure or something?”

“Eloquent as always, dear.” Emma rolled her eyes at her, and Regina had to laugh. She knew she needed to trust Emma to deal with the pirate. “If you think it’ll help give you closure, I say go for it. Just be careful.”

“I will.” Emma grabbed an apple off the table and headed for the door.

“What? No, goodbye?!” Regina yelled out after the quickly exiting savior. Suddenly Emma appeared right next to her in a puff of white smoke and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Sorry, darling. Have an amazing day.” Regina knew she instantly turned red at Emma’s silliness. She didn’t even manage to say anything before the blonde smirked and poofed away.

* * *

Never trust a pirate. It was a lesson Regina had learned many years ago. That’s why she told herself it was okay to follow Emma down to the docks. She kept her distance and watched as Emma and Hook sat on a bench near the Jolly Roger and talked. She could have cast a spell to listen in but thought better of it. She observed Killian’s crew as they loaded up the last of their supplies. Once the last box was loaded, they all lined up along the side of the boat and seemed to be waiting on the pirate. They seemed to be acting rather odd… The sound of Emma screaming out, brought Regina’s attention back to the pair. 

“What the fuck, Killian?!” Hook had a hold of Emma’s arm where there was now a damn magic dampening cuff. Regina felt her blood begin to boil.

“It’s for your own good, love!” Killian signaled up to the boat where Regina spotted Smee raising his arm. Regina’s eyes grew wide when she realized what the deckhand was about to do... Glancing back over to Emma and Hook, she saw Emma was putting up a decent fight trying to prevent Hook from dragging her onto the ship. “Throw it, Smee!” The magic bean flew out of Smee’s hand and landed in front of the Jolly Roger. A swirling vortex slowly started to open up in front of the ship.

Regina’s instincts instantly kicked in. She started throwing out fireball after fireball at the crew, causing them all to scatter about the ship's deck like the rats they were. Next, she magicked herself down right next to Emma and pulled the cuff off the savior's arm before Hook even knew she was there. Once Emma was set free, she instantly put a magical chokehold on Killian.

“I should have known better than to trust you! You just never give up, do you? You never will!”

“You belong to me, love!” Hook struggled against the chokehold. “You’re nothing without me!”

“Emma!” Regina motioned towards the portal. It was starting to close.

“I’m so lucky Regina knew better than to trust you!” Emma waved her arm and Hook was transported to the deck of the Jolly Roger. Regina sent out a blast of magic that filled the ship's sails with wind causing the boat to move forward into the swirling portal. “I lost myself because of you! Never come back here! If I ever see you again. I...just don’t.” The look of pure rage on Emma’s face was something Regina had never seen from the savior. Even when the Dark One was occupying her mind.

Regina reached out a tentative hand and grasped Emma's shoulder. They watched as the massive ship was swallowed up by the portal. Regina slowly slid her hand down Emma’s back and made a few calming circular motions. The next thing she knew Emma turned and slammed into her hugging her tightly.

The sound of tires screeching to a halt behind them made them reluctantly pull apart and turn around. David and Henry jumped out of the police cruiser. They both had worried looks on their faces, and Regina swore she saw David raise a curious eyebrow when he saw them parting from their hug.

“Moms!” Henry rushed up to them and pulled them into a group hug. “Leroy came rushing into Grannys saying Hook was kidnapping you!”

“I’m okay, kid. Your Mom saved me.” They shared a small smile over Henry’s head.

“What happened?” David came up and looked around the docks. He seemed to be looking for signs of the pirate.

“Killian put a magic dampening cuff on me and opened a portal with a magic bean. I guess his big plan was to kidnap me, how original.” Emma seemed to get lost in thought for a moment, so Regina took over.

“I managed to get the cuff off of Emma. She got him back onto the boat before the portal closed. Hopefully, we never see that rum-soaked bastard ever again."

“Where the hell did he even get a magic bean?” Regina and David both turned and looked at Henry. His face was slowly turning red but not in embarrassment. He seemed to be livid.

“I gave it to him.” Henry ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “I didn’t think he’d… If I had any idea that’d he use it to try and kidnap Mom, I would never have given it to him!” Angry tears started to fall from his eyes. “I gave it to him and told him to get the hell out of Storybrooke and never come back!”

“Henry. It’s okay.” Emma reached out to him, and he grasped her hands. “You had no idea he’d do anything like that. You were just doing what you thought was best.” He smiled at the use of his own words being used on him. “I do want to know what you were doing with a magic bean, though?”

“Umm…” Henry looked to Regina for help.

“I’ll explain later. For now, how about we go to Grannys and let everyone know their sheriff is safe?”

* * *

“So you were going to discuss the magic bean more on your road trip?” Emma sipped on her hot chocolate as Regina sat down beside her on the couch. 

“That was the plan. We were going to discuss what to do with it and decide on a course of action together.” Emma frowned and Regina knew instantly that she was feeling left out. “You were going to be told about it before we left. Things have been a bit hectic the last few weeks, and honestly, I forgot all about it.”

“Were you planning on letting him go?” Regina sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“Well, I was going to discuss everything with you first, but, yes. I was planning on telling Henry he could go, with your permission, of course. There was also going to be one other condition.” Off of Emma’s confused look, Regina continued, “I was going to go with him.”

“You were going to leave?!” Emma sat up straight on the couch so suddenly that she nearly spilled her hot chocolate.

“Henry has been so adamant about leaving. We both know how stubborn he can get. I just knew deep down there would be no stopping him. He’s a smart boy..." She paused and smiled, "...young man. I knew I couldn’t let him go by himself...and honestly...without him here...what’s left for me?” Regina turned to look at Emma. She was stunned to see the blonde’s eyes filled with tears.

“What about me?!”

“Oh, Emma…” She turned to Emma and took the hot chocolate out of her hands. Regina placed it on the coffee table and grasped both of Emma’s hands in her own. “This was before…” Regina paused. How should she approach this? “I didn’t think you’d ever leave him, Emma. I couldn’t stand the idea of Henry not being here and having to watch you and Killian together…” Regina held her breath. Had she just shared too much about how she truly felt for Emma? She had been fighting these feelings for years…

Emma’s lips crashed into hers before she could say anything else. After the initial shock of what was happening wore off, she found herself melting into Emma’s embrace. Her hands tangled into the blonde’s hair as they wrapped around Emma’s head to bring her in closer. The kiss was everything Regina had ever hoped and dreamed of it being...everything felt right...everything felt, perfect. A sudden colorful burst of light shot out, and they both fell back in surprise. They were gasping for breath as they looked at each other with wide, surprised lust-filled eyes.

Regina was the first to burst out laughing. Emma soon joined in.

“Holy shit!” They both jumped as Henry came running into the house. “Did you two just share a True Love’s Kiss?!”

“Language, Henry.” She smiled over shyly at Emma and bit her lip. Had that actually just happened?!

“Yeah, I think we did, kid?” Emma was blushing. Regina watched as the blonde grabbed the back of her neck. It appeared Emma suddenly didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands.

“I’m okay with it, by the way!” Henry had a big goofy smile on his face. Like, all his hopes and dreams had just come true. Regina was pretty sure she had the same goofy look on her face. She looked back over at Emma and saw that she also had a big goofy smile on her face. Again, everything felt perfect.

Then Henry’s phone started to ring. “It’s Grandma. Should I tell her?”

“NO!” Both Emma and Regina yelled out the answer at once.

“We haven’t had a chance to actually let this all sink in yet, sweetheart. Maybe give us a little bit of time to process before we let the entire town know?” Regina smiled knowingly over at Emma.

Henry laughed at his mothers. “Okay. I’ll play dumb, but you won’t be able to hide it from her for long. Especially with those silly looks on your faces.” He smiled and ran off before they could throw anything at him.

“So…”

“So…”

They shared an awkward smile as they both started to talk at once. 

“That really just happened, didn’t it? I’m not dreaming?” Emma scooted closer to Regina and clasped their hands together.

“It did.” Regina suddenly felt like a shy, awkward teenager. 

“Does that mean we just broke some sort of curse?” Emma leaned in closer.

“I honestly don’t know...or care.” Their lips crashed together again in a searing kiss. Regina opened her mouth and invited the savior's tongue in...a low moan escaped her throat when she felt Emma rest a hand on one of her thighs. The sensations were overwhelming. Was it too much too soon? She could feel the magic buzzing between them.

Regina pulled back and placed one of her hands on Emma’s cheek. Seeing those green eyes filled with so much desire for her was everything she ever wanted. “We need to slow down, dear.” Emma bit her lip and nodded. Regina smiled and placed a small kiss on the tip of Emma’s nose before she stood up from the couch. She smiled once again as she looked down at Emma. “We have time to explore this at our own pace. I want to take you on a proper date next weekend if that’s okay with you?”

“A date? Really?” Regina suddenly felt silly, and it must have shown on her face because Emma jumped up off of the couch and wrapped her arms around her. “I’d love that, Regina.” The blonde gave her another quick kiss. “I’m going to go head to bed, it’s late, and it’s been a crazy day…”

“That it has…” Regina looked down at her watch. “That little shit.”

“What?!”

“It’s twelve-forty-five! Henry was late!” An evil smile broke out on Regina’s face as she saw the shocked look on Emma’s face. “Prepare for your punishment later, Miss Swan...”


	4. a little bit of time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed rating to Mature. *wiggles eyebrows*

“Emma… I think you should go to the doctor.” Regina held back the blonde’s hair as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. It had been a common occurrence during the last few mornings…

“I’m fine.” Emma sat back and reached out to flush the toilet.

“Emma…”

“Don’t say it.”

“It’s been every morning...” Regina knew what it was; they both did. Denying it wouldn’t solve the issue.

“I can’t be...not now.” Emma looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes.

“Let’s get confirmation before we do or say anything else, okay?” Regina stood and grabbed a washcloth. She ran it under some cold water and wrung it out. Returning to Emma, she placed the cold cloth on the blonde’s forehead. “It’ll be okay,” Regina repeated those words inwardly to herself over and over... Leaning forward, she placed a soft kiss on Emma’s temple. It would all be okay. 

* * *

They sat holding hands in the small hospital room. The door flew open, and Dr. Whale paused and raised an eyebrow as he noticed their clasped hands.

“Shut it, blondie. Just tell us the results without commentary.” Regina didn’t have the time or patience for his pervy antics today.

“Now, now, ladies. No reason to be snippy.” He looked down at the chart and again raised an eyebrow. ”Well, it seems congratulations are in order. You appear to be about a month or so along!” He slammed the chart closed and smiled widely at them both. Noticing the look on their faces, he again raised an eyebrow. “Oh, or maybe congratulations wasn’t the right word…”

“That’s enough, Victor. You may leave now.” Regina gave the doctor her best scowl and watched him flee the room.

“One month, three weeks, and two days.” Regina turned back to Emma at her strange words.

“What’s that, dear?” Regina knelt in front of Emma and tried to look into her eyes. She was staring down at her stomach.

“One month, three weeks, and two days.”

“I know. I heard you the first time, but what does it mean?” Emma’s state of shock was worrying to the brunette.

“It was the last time…”

“Oh. I don’t think I need to know the details, Emma.” Regina felt ill at the thought.

“I only remember because…” She shut her eyes and whispered, “I didn’t want to…”

It took only a small beat for Regina to understand what Emma was saying. “That fucking pirate! I will skin him alive if he ever tries to come near you again!” The anger Regina was feeling was the deepest into her evil side; she had let herself slip in a very long time. Once she saw the tears start to slide down Emma’s cheeks though, she immediately stopped her rant and rushed to her side.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t focus on him right now. This is about you.” She pulled Emma up into a hug, and the blonde wrapped her arms tightly around her. “You do have options…”

“I know.” They both just stood there holding each other for a while. Emma pulled back from the embrace and looked at Regina. “I can’t…” A sad smile appeared on her face. “We’re just getting going. It’s not fair to you, to us.” 

Regina stepped forward and placed a calming palm on each of Emma’s cheeks and smiled brightly at her. “Whatever you decide. I’m here — one-hundred percent. You’re stuck with me now, Swan. There’s no going back.” Emma surged forward and hugged Regina so tightly that the brunette thought her ribs might break.

“I just need a little bit of time to think. Can you give me that?”

“Of course, whatever you need.” Regina suddenly realized they were still in the hospital and waved her hand. They reappeared in Emma’s bedroom. “Here, lay down and rest.” Emma nodded and crawled onto the bed. Regina helped her with her boots before she slid fully under the covers.

Regina kissed the blonde’s forehead and turned to leave. Before she made it very far, Emma reached out and grabbed her hand. “Stay? Please?” Regina smiled and gave Emma a silent nod. She made her way to the other side of the bed and slipped off her heels. As she slid under the covers, Emma pulled her close wrapping her arms around her and snuggled into her side.

“Rest now, sweetheart.” She squeezed Emma and watched the blonde as she closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what was in store for their lives next, but Regina was sure of one thing. She’d stay by Emma’s side no matter what.

* * *

After nearly a week had passed, Regina was starting to get a bit anxious waiting for Emma to tell her what her decision was. It was true that no matter what Emma decided, Regina was all in. It was just that the waiting game was really starting to get to her. Luckily she did have something to help keep her mind off of it. She was planning her date with Emma. Tonight was the night.

“Mom!”

“In the study, sweetheart!”

“Hey!” Henry smiled brightly at her. “Everything’s all set!”

“Perfect.” Regina returned her son’s smile “Does your mother suspect anything?”

“Nope! Totally oblivious.”

“Excellent.” This plan was going to work out just the way she wanted it to… “You’re okay with staying with your grandparents this weekend?”

“Mom… I already told you I was.” Henry got a funny look on his face. “I don’t think I want to be here if you guys are…”

“Henry!” Regina could feel the blush rapidly covering her face. 

“I’m kidding! You two are going to have an awesome weekend.”

“I just want everything to be perfect.” Regina twisted her fingers nervously.

“You already shared True Love’s Kiss, Mom. I think it’s safe to say she likes you.”

“Oh, haha. You know what I mean.” She couldn’t believe she was discussing this with her son.

“It will be amazing. Now if you'll excuse me. I’m going to get ready... “ He paused and smiled slyly. “I get to take the Benz, yeah?”

She raised an eyebrow at her young son. “Yes. Drive carefully! Text me when you get there.” She reached into her purse and tossed him the keys. “Also…” She hated what she was about to ask him. “I don’t like asking you to lie, Henry…”

“I know. Don’t tell Gram and Gramps about your relationship.”

“We are planning on telling them soon, I promise. Your Mother just needs to work through a few things.” 

“I got it. Operation - True Love’s Kiss - is a go.” He winked at her and made his exit. Regina shook her head. The boy had become a young man, but he’d always be Henry.

* * *

Regina transported herself to the sheriff's station at precisely five o’clock. She looked around the station and was happy to see it was empty except for Emma, who was sitting in her office. She ran her hand through her hair and made her way to the office door and tapped on it lightly.

“Hey! Come in!” Emma smiled brightly at her. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“It’s five o’clock, Sheriff. I believe your shift has ended?” Regina raised a questioning eyebrow.

Emma frowned and looked over at the clock on the wall. “Mulan must be running late.” 

“Actually… She may be on official city business at the request of the mayor....” Off of Emma’s confused look, she continued. “I wanted some extra time to ask if you’d do me the honor of going on a date starting...now?”

A huge smile broke out on Emma’s face. “Really?” She looked down at herself and sighed. “I’m not exactly dressed for a date, Regina?”

“Permission to…” She motioned with her hands up and down Emma, who nodded her consent.

A cloud of purple magic enveloped Emma. When it faded, Emma was left standing in her comfortable lounge clothes, that she usually wore lazing around the house. “Um, Regina?”

Regina smiled and waved her hands once again. The purple magic faded and Regina was left also standing in her lazy day clothes. Emma had been thrilled to learn her sweatshirt was the central part of Regina’s comfortable outfit. The brunette held her hand out to Emma. As soon as their hands clasped they transported out of the station.

Holding her breath, Regina waited to see how Emma would react to where they were. Emma looked around their location, taking in all the little sights around them. “I love it!” They were standing in the front room of the mansion. Only the place had been transformed into a small movie theater. Instead of seats though there was a super comfortable looking couch covered in pillows and blankets. The fireplace was gone, and a large screen took up the entire wall. The lights were down low, and candles were flickering all over the room. A coffee table in front of the couch was covered in various movie snacks and popcorn.

“I thought since we can’t actually hit the town as a couple yet, I’d do a date night here…” She scrunched up her face a bit embarrassed. “Is it really okay?”

Emma pulled Regina into her arms. “It’s amazing.” The blonde brought their lips together. The kiss was sweet and full of love. Emma pulled back and smiled. “Did Henry see this setup? Cause if he did I doubt you’ll ever get your front room back.” 

“He helped me in making it.” She looked around the room once more. It was a fun space. “I agreed we could do it now and then. On special occasions.” She turned to Emma and kissed her once more. “Before the movies begin, I do have dinner waiting in the dining room.”

“Sounds perfect.” They made their way to the dining room. There were several candles set out, and the food was already out and ready to go.

“I made a new recipe. I hope you like it.” They sat at the table and Regina reached out a tentative hand to a bottle that was set to the side. “I have some...sparkling apple juice if you’d like?” Emma gave a small nod, and Regina poured them both a glass. Regina then served them each a portion of the Moroccan chicken dish she had prepared for the evening.

Emma took a bite and immediately moaned, “This is the most amazing thing I have ever put in my mouth.” 

Leaning in closer to Emma, Regina couldn’t help herself, “Well, the night is young, dear.” She sat back with a smug look on her face as Emma choked on her bite of chicken.

A short while later they were cuddled up on the couch watching Captain Marvel. “Do you think I could learn to do that cool glowing effect when I use my magic?” Emma stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth and glanced to Regina.

“If you want to drain your magic twice as fast, sure.”

“Hmm...almost worth it to look that cool.” Emma reached forward and grabbed a red vine and chomped down on it. Regina smiled at the blonde. She was just too adorable, sometimes. She’d missed this side of her over the past few years. “You want one?” Regina shook her head.

As soon as the credits started to roll, Emma grabbed the remote and clicked the tv off. Regina looked at her curiously. “Don’t you want to watch the after credit scenes?”

“No, I want to talk to you, and I’m feeling the courage to do so right now after watching Carol kickass so…” Emma took a few calming breaths. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it, and I want to keep the baby.”

Regina pulled Emma into a tight hug. “I’m happy to hear that.” 

“You are?” Emma pulled back and looked at Regina. “I’d understand if it was too much to handle. You didn’t exactly sign up for this…” Emma’s head fell forward, and Regina immediately lifted it back up by placing a finger under Emma’s chin.

“I told you I would be here no matter what you decided, didn’t I?” Emma nodded. “I know it’s not an ideal way to start out a new relationship, but it’s not like we don’t already have a long history.” Regina tucked a stray piece of Emma’s hair behind her ear. “Plus, we’re pretty damn good at being co-parents. I can’t wait to raise another child with you, Emma Swan.” Regina surged forward and captured Emma’s lips with her own. The kiss was heated. Regina wanted Emma to feel the love she had for her. She wanted Emma to know she was sincere when she said she was all in. Swinging her leg over Emma’s lap, she straddled the startled savior and deepened the kiss. The feeling of Emma’s hands sliding around to her backside and pulling her in closer made Regina moan.

They broke apart both breathing heavily. “I love you. I want to say that now, before...ya know.” Emma blushed and covered her face with her hands. “Ugh, you make me so…” Regina raised an eyebrow.

“What do I make you, Em-ma?” A squirming Emma Swan was one of Regina’s favorite things.

A look Regina had never before seen on the blonde’s face suddenly took over her features. “Honestly?” Emma sat up and put her lips next to Regina’s ear. “Wet.” 

Regina couldn’t help but audibly gasp at Emma’s boldness. Once again, she kissed Emma with everything she had. A feeling of magic washed over them and made her gasp as they transported to the master suite. She was still straddling Emma, but now they were in her bed.

“Is this okay?” Emma looked up at Regina. The brunette sat back on Emma’s thighs and smiled. Reaching down, she grabbed the bottom of her sweatshirt and lifted it over her head. Her casual outfit for the evening hadn’t included a bra, and the look on Emma’s face was priceless. 

Emma reached up to pull Regina back down to her. Regina stopped her and grasped Emma’s hands. “I love you too, Emma.” 

Regina placed the savior's hands onto her chest. The feeling of Emma squeezing her breasts made Regina throw her head back and moan. She cried out when the blonde pinched her nipples and rolled them between her fingers. Needing to feel some relief from the ache that was building rapidly between her legs, Regina rolled her hips and started to grind down on Emma’s pelvis. The two sensations together were mindblowing. Emma’s hands slowly journeyed down over Regina’s stomach and came to rest on each of her hips. Regina kept her rhythm as she ground her core against Emma. The brunette’s breathing was becoming more and more labored as she could feel herself getting closer and closer to climax.

“Emma.” She knew she was close.

“Let yourself go, Regina. It’s okay.” Looking down into the savior's emerald green eyes looking at her with such tender love pushed Regina over the edge. She felt the orgasm wash over her with wave after wave of pure, intense pleasure. She had never experienced anything like it before. She collapsed beside Emma and tried to catch her breath. Was this what it was like to be with your true love? “You, okay?” She felt Emma kiss the side of her head. She giggled when Emma ran her hand over her butt.

“Yeah, definitely, okay. Better than okay, actually.” She turned to Emma and kissed her deeply. Breaking the kiss, she moved to kiss along Emma’s jaw until she finally came to the blonde’s ear. She traced her tongue along the shell of Emma’s ear and smiled when Emma made the most delicious moaning sound. Regina again pulled back and smirked when she saw a small pout appear on Emma’s face. The pout didn’t last long. Regina reached for the bottom of Emma’s shirt and lifted it over her head. Emma reached back around herself and unclasped her bra and threw it off to the side, not caring where it landed. Regina’s mouth immediately found one of Emma’s nipples. She sucked and nipped on it greedily and revealed in the incredible sounds it caused Emma to call out. 

“Oh god, Regina. Yes!” Regina replaced her mouth with her fingers and pinched the nipple hard. Again, Emma cried out in pleasure. Not wanting Emma’s other breast to feel neglected, she reached out and squeezed it. Leaving each of her hands on Emma’s breasts, she slowly snaked her tongue down Emma’s abdomen and into the blonde’s belly button. Emma started to giggle and squirm, as Regina licked and kissed the sensitive area. Finally, she reached the edge of Emma’s waistband and looked up to get permission. Emma smiled and nodded. They worked together to remove Emma’s pants and underwear in one quick go. Regina also removed the last of her clothes, so they were both in the same state of undress.

“You’re beautiful.” Regina looked over the naked savior's form before her. She was radiant. Emma blushed, and Regina loved how she could follow the redness as it journeyed down Emma’s body. She knelt between Emma’s legs and slid her hands up the blonde's thighs slowly coaxing them to open wider. A wave of Emma's natural scent washed over Regina as she got closer to Emma’s core. Her mouth started to water. She needed to taste the savior now. She didn’t waste any time as she slid her tongue between Emma’s folds. Emma cried out and grabbed Regina’s head and held her in place. Regina circled her tongue around Emma’s clit and sucked it into her mouth. She could tell by how wet Emma was that it wouldn’t take long for Emma to be pushed over the edge. Regina kept her mouth on Emma’s clit and entered her with two fingers. Emma cried out and pulled at Regina’s hair while she rode the brunette’s fingers and tongue.

“Don’t stop!” Regina doubled her efforts as Emma lifted herself off the bed to try and get even closer to Regina. When the orgasm finally came, it was hard and intense. Regina felt her hand get coated in a wave of liquid as Emma came a second time before she finally collapsed back onto the bed. “Holy shit.” Emma pulled Regina up and kissed her hard. “That was...amazing.” 

“Thank you, dear.” Regina casually wiped her face off before she cuddled into Emma’s side. “You weren’t so bad yourself.” Emma broke out laughing and pulled Regina in tighter.

“We’re just getting started, you know?” Emma kissed the side of Regina’s head.

"That I do.” Regina leaned forward and placed a small tender kiss on Emma’s stomach and smiled. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. sorry I'm late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The tears wouldn’t stop falling from her eyes. Regina dabbed away at one, and it was followed by three more. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Here,” Regina took the tissue from Emma with a sad smile. “Henry’s just graduating from high school. You’re acting like he’s leaving you forever.” 

“I know.” Regina sniffled. “He’s just so grown up!” The brunette blew her nose, and Emma cringed. “I saw that--” Before Emma could defend herself, Snow and David showed up to take their seats beside them. 

“Emma! Why do you have a sweater on? It’s so warm out here!” Regina watched as Emma tugged down on the baggy sweater. She was starting to show. Emma wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer…

“Umm, I think I’m getting a cold? Had some chills earlier.” 

Regina rolled her eyes as she watched Emma run her hands up and down her arms and shiver. They had agreed to tell the Charmings about everything, including their relationship, when they got back from their road trip. It had taken some convincing, but Henry had finally gotten Emma to agree to go on the journey with them. Emma had felt like she would be intruding on their mom and son's time, but honestly, they couldn’t even imagine going on the trip without her. Especially after the past couple of months, they’d all been sharing together at the mansion. 

“Oh, sweetie! You should go to the doctor!” Snow studied Emma carefully, and Regina almost laughed when she saw Emma visibly gulp. “You know. You’ve looked a bit, different, the past few weeks--” Luckily before Snow could finish her thought music started up signaling the start of the graduation ceremony. 

* * *

“Henry Mills!” 

They all stood and cheered loudly as Henry walked across the stage and received his diploma. Regina shocked everyone when she whistled loudly by putting her fingers in between her lips.

As Henry neared the end of the stage, a sudden familiar-looking plume of purple magic started to swirl around beside him. Regina was already getting ready to throw a fireball when the magic smoke cleared.

“Sorry, I’m late.” The Queen, in all her glory, was standing there with her arms wide open with an evil, but loving, grin on her face.

“Mom?!” Henry ran to the Queen and hugged her tight.

“Hello, dear.” It had taken some time, but the Queen had managed to form a very close bond with her son. A few ‘mirror’ skype calls with Archie sitting in had done wonders. Regina had sat in on a few of the calls and had even done a few without Henry present. It was beyond odd to share the same life with someone and then be split apart and made into two people. Regina knew Henry talked with the Queen often, and she was perfectly okay with it. She was as much his mother as she was. It was only fair she be a big part of his life.

“How!?” 

“I’ll explain later, dear.” She gave him another hug and shooed him off the stage. “Please don’t stop the ceremony on my account!’ With a laugh and a wave of her arm, she poofed off the stage and reappeared in an empty chair next to a cackling Zelena.

“Umm, Regina?” Regina turned to look at Emma and realized she still had a fireball in her hand. Extinguishing it, she sat down and tried to calm her nerves. “You okay?” Emma slipped her hand into hers and squeezed it tightly.

“Yes.” She squeezed Emma’s hand in return. “Just...surprised.” They turned their attention back to the stage where Hansel and Gretel were getting their diplomas with huge smiles on their faces.

* * *

Regina entered the mansion and got to work, making sure everything was ready for Henry’s graduation party. Emma stayed behind to help with some after graduation activities the school had planned. The familiar feeling of magic behind her made her pause but not stop as she kneaded some dough. “Hello, Gigi.”

“Hello, Regina. May I help?” Regina turned to look at her counterpart and smiled brightly. The name Gigi had actually come from Zelena as a joke. It stuck when the Queen decided that it suited her.

“Look at you.” The former Evil Queen was sporting a slightly soft look compared to the dark leather outfits she was known for. It was all very Enchanted Forest but definitely tame for her. It reminded Regina a bit of the riding outfits they used to wear when they were young. “You can peel some carrots for the salad.” She motioned over to a cutting board and turned back to her task. They worked in silence for a while before Regina had to ask, “So, how did you get here? Not that it’s not nice to see you.”

Gigi placed the peeler on the counter and turned to Regina. “I figured it out.” She had a little glimmer in her eye.

"Figured what out?” Gigi had such a proud look on her face, and Regina had to wonder if she’d ever had that look on her face…

“How to make a stable portal. No magic hat, no magic bean. All you need is a powerful spell caster and of course, a mirror.” She waved her hand, and a small mirror appeared. With another wave of her hand, an image of her room in The Enchanted Forest appeared on its surface. This wasn’t anything new. It was how they’d been communicating with her over the last few years, but then she reached into the mirror, and Regina gasped. When the Queen pulled her hand back, she had an apple in her hand.

“So very original of you.” Gigi shrugged and tossed the apple to Regina. Regina stared down at the apple in her hand. “This is big.”

“It is, but we’re in control of how this moves forward.”

“How so?”

“The travel will have to be controlled and done by us on either side. Don’t think I’m just going to tell everyone how to do this spell. That could be disastrous.”

“True.” This was a big deal. Regina couldn't wrap her head around how much this could change everyone's life…

“Let’s worry about all this later. Today is about celebrating Henry.” Regina nodded in agreement and got back to work, but in the back of her mind, she knew things were about to change for Storybrooke.

“Hey, babe?!” The sound of Emma yelling to her as she entered the mansion made Regina freeze.

Gigi quickly turned to look at Regina with curious eyes… “Babe?”

“Oh, shit!” Emma froze in her tracks as she entered the kitchen.

“Shit indeed…” Gigi’s eyes roamed down Emma’s body. She took in the sight of the Savior, and her eyebrow arched high as her eyes moved quickly back to Emma’s face. “How far along are you?”

“Umm…” Emma looked like a deer caught in headlights. Regina walked over to Emma and gripped her hand. Again the Queen’s eyebrow arched as she took in the sight before her.

“And how long has _ this _ been going on?” The Queen motioned to their joined hand.

“The answer to both of your questions is about four months.” Regina took a deep calming breath. There was no need to hold back the truth from her. “Killian is gone. We are together and happy.” She turned to smile at Emma, hoping to calm her down, but the blonde still had a stunned look on her face.

“Interesting…” Gigi studied them both for a second. “Miss Swan. Breathe. I’m not going to set you on fire, dear.” Emma blinked out of her stunned state and shook her head.

“I… I didn’t think you would. I’d never--”

“Emma. It’s okay.” Gigi stepped forward and grabbed the unclasped hands of both Regina and Emma. “I’m not going to say this is unexpected, because honestly, it’s not.” She winked at Regina, who couldn’t help but blush. “I’m happy for you both.” She smiled at them and smirked. Regina knew she'd be discussing this further with the Queen later...

“Everything okay in here?” Henry came into the kitchen to the sight of his three mom’s all holding hands. Gigi gave Emma and Regina’s hands one last squeeze before she let go and turned to her son.

“They were just sharing their happy news with me, dear.” He smiled and surged forward, giving her another hug.

“How are you here?!” The excitement in Henry’s voice wasn’t lost on Regina.

“Why don’t you two go catch up in the front room while we finish up in here?” There wasn’t much left to do. She just wanted the pair to have some time together before everyone arrived for the party.

After she watched them depart the room, Regina turned back to Emma. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah… That was just kinda intense.” Emma walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer. Regina was about to say something, but before she could, Emma audibly sighed and put it back. She grabbed a seltzer water and turned to Regina with a pout on her face. “I hate seltzer water.”

“You were the one that insisted on buying them,” Regina smirked as Emma took a sip and cringed.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Emma took a seat and grabbed a leftover carrot from the chopping board. “That went better than I thought it would.”

“It did? How did you think it would go?” They hadn’t ever talked about telling Gigi. Now that it was out there, it felt odd that they hadn’t discussed it.

“I dunno?” Emma bit into the carrot and looked deep in thought. "Just different…” Regina silently nodded her understanding. Their lives weren’t simple, so there were always going to be odd moments to get through. “Do I want to know how she got here?”

“I’ll explain later. We have some things to figure out going forward, but I want today to be about Henry.” Regina walked over to Emma and kissed her temple. An idea came to her mind as she thought about the future. This portal could actually be useful if she and Gigi could figure out a plan. A smile appeared on her face as things clicked in place in her brain.

Emma noticed her sudden change in mood and smiled up at her. “What are you thinking about?”

“The future.” She placed a small kiss on Emma’s lips and pulled back, looking into Emma’s brilliant green eyes, “Our future, and I think we’re all going to be alright.” 

Emma looked like she was going to ask for more information, but the Charming brood all came rushing into the kitchen, causing Regina to jump back before they were caught in a loving embrace. Zelena and Robin were right behind the Charmings, and soon Regina heard the voices of other guests arriving. She put on her best party host face and focused on making Henry’s party the best party he ever had.

* * *

“There’s a full-length mirror out at the vault… I’ve never liked having them in the house, as you know…”

“That’s the one I came through.”

“You’re welcome to stay, of course?”

Gigi shook her head. “I need to get back. Rob and Roland will be returning from his two-week hunting trip with the Merry Men.”

“How are they?” Introducing Roland to a man that looked just like his father had been a slow and challenging process. The Merry Men had been very cautious of the two doppelgangers that had shown up in the Enchanted Forrest randomly one day. Eventually, the odd bunch had found a way to get along and be a part of each other's lives.

Gigi got a dreamy look on her face and smiled softly. “Good. Really good.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” They shared a smile. It suddenly dawned on Regina that this was probably the first time in both their lives that they were happy at the same time.

“Are you headed back, Mom?” 

“Yes, dear.” Gigi walked over to Henry and wrapped him up in a tight hug. “I can come back whenever, though.” She smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek.

“About that…” They both turned and looked curiously at Regina.

“Emma!” Regina called out for the savior as Gigi and Henry looked at her curiously.

“Yeah?” Regina held her hand out to Emma, and the blonde took it and looked around at everyone. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to give Henry his graduation present.”

“Oh? I thought we were waiting for the road trip?”

“I was, but I think I’ve changed my mind about that particular gift…”

“Oh, man! I’m not gonna get the Benz?!” All heads turned to Henry with raised eyebrows.

“Let me guess. Snow told you?” Gigi rolled her eyes. “I told you not to tell her!”

“I didn’t!” Regina turned to look at Emma, who was looking up at the ceiling. “We will be discussing this later, Miss Swan.” She turned back to Henry and smiled. “The Benz is yours, dear.” Henry's fist pumped into the air at the news. “I, however, have a new offer to give you, but only if all parties agree?” She looked pointedly at Emma and Gig and continued, “I know how much you want to travel the realms.” She held her hand up to stop Henry from speaking. “I still stand by the fact that you are too young to do so on your own. However, I think some time in the Enchanted Forest could do you some good.” 

A huge smile broke out on Henry’s face. “Seriously?!”

“Yes, but I want to make sure your other Mothers are okay with it?” She looked between the two women and waited for their reactions.

Emma spoke first. “I think it’s a great idea, kid! You can get to know how the other worlds work under the watchful eye of the Queen. That’s pretty awesome.” They all turned to Gigi to see what she thought of the idea.

Gigi’s eyes were full of tears. “I… I would love to have you, Henry.” Henry surged forward and hugged her tight once again. Regina and Emma shared a smile behind their backs, both of their eyes now shiny with tears from witnessing the emotional moment.

“Then it’s settled. We will figure out all the details once we get back from the road trip.”

Henry held out his arms and motioned for Emma and Regina to join in the oddest group hug of their lives. Only it didn’t seem all that strange as they all embraced. It felt like a family coming home.


	6. things that bring you joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been to Maine. I've never been pregnant. I'm sure I'm going to be very inaccurate on some stuff! lol
> 
> Enjoy!

Regina and Emma sat back in their chairs. They both held their breath as they waited to see the reaction to the news they just shared with their son.

“So… Hook is the Dad?”

“Hook is nothing but the sperm donor.”

“Gross, Mom.” Regina could only shrug. It was the truth. “Are you going to let him know?” He directed the question to Emma. Before Emma could answer, Regina spoke up.

“He lost all parental rights when he tried to kidnap your mother.”

Henry nodded his understanding. “Is this why you’re now okay with me leaving? Because...you have a new kid on the way?”

Regina’s heart instantly sank. “Oh, no, sweetheart! Never!” She was up and out of her seat, pulling him into a hug before she even finished her sentence. “You can never be replaced, my little prince.”

“Kid.” Both Regina and Henry turned to look at Emma, who was still seated across from them. “Do you not want to go to the Enchanted Forest?”

Henry grew quiet and looked deep in thought. “I do. I really do, but I guess now that it’s a reality… I’m a little scared.”

“That’s understandable, Kid. This is all on your schedule, okay?” Emma gave him a reassuring smile. “Now that there’s going to be a stable portal, you can go whenever you’re ready. There’s no rush.”

“If you’d like to visit Gigi for a weekend or a week to get used to being there, that’s fine, Henry. If it’s when we get back or next year, it doesn’t matter.” Regina smirked. “Although, if it is a year from now, I’d like you to please consider some college courses--”

“Mom…” Regina ruffled his hair, making him laugh.

“So…” The giggling mother and son turned to look at Emma. “How are you feeling about being a big brother?”

Henry pursed his lips and grabbed his chin, and acted like he was deep in thought. “I think… It’s awesome!!” He jumped up and ran over to her hugging her tight.

“Okay, you two. We need to hit the road if we want to make our dinner reservation in Portland.”

They already had the car all loaded up for the road trip. Regina had bought a brand new Mercedes-Benz GLS. Emma had audibly gasped when she saw the black luxury SUV in the driveway. It was safer for the road trip, and the baby had been the excuse Regina used for the extravagant purchase.

“Shot-gun!” Henry ran up to the passenger seat and hopped inside.

“Kid!” Regina grabbed Emma’s arm and stopped her from telling him to get in the back.

“It’s fine, sweetheart. Let him have some fun with you in the front for a bit, okay?” She gave her a quick kiss before she climbed in the back seat. She had some last-second work to do, so the extra room in the backseat would work well for her.

“What should we listen to?” Henry set to work on hooking his phone up to the car’s Bluetooth.

“You’re choice, Kid. We trust ya!” Emma smiled over at him as she buckled her seatbelt. She had to convince Regina it was safe for her to drive. The overprotective mayor would wrap the sheriff in bubble wrap if she could.

“Awesome! I made a playlist!”

“I didn’t know you liked Bowie, Kid?”

“Ummm, Ma? Do you even know Mom?” He shook his head at his blonde mother.

“You like Bowie?!” Regina smirked at Emma’s wide eyes in the rearview mirror.

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.” She winked at the green eyes that were still on her in the mirror. “Eyes on the road, dear.” This was going to be a fun trip.

* * *

“I’m stuffed.” Henry sat back in his chair and patted his belly. “Ha! It’s almost as big as yours, Ma.” A napkin hit him the side of his head.

“Haha…” Emma looked down at her belly and pulled her shirt down. She needed to do some shopping for bigger clothes soon.

“You look beautiful.” Regina placed a comforting hand on Emma’s arm. “I am a bit worried you won’t be able to hide it from your parents by the time we return.” Emma was showing more and more every day. The Charmings could be oblivious to things, but even Regina didn’t think they’d miss Emma’s sudden visible baby bump.

“I know--”

“Let’s go shopping tomorrow. Maybe that’ll make you feel a bit better, hmm?”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

“Ugh…” Henry’s head fell back, and he sighed loudly. “Shopping? This is supposed to be a fun vacation!” Another napkin hit him in the head.

“I seem to remember there was a pair of new shoes someone wanted for graduation?”

Henry perked up at that. “Shopping it is!”

“Smooth, Kid.”

“I try. Is it okay if I go check out that game store we saw?”

“Sure, dear. We’ll pay the bill and meet you there.” Regina finished off her wine and smiled over at Emma. She paused when she noticed Emma looked deep in thought. She watched Henry runoff and turned her full attention to Emma. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… It’s just what Henry said earlier…” Regina tried to think back to what Emma could be talking about. Then it dawned on her.

“You want to tell Killian about the baby?!” Regina’s heart started beating faster. Why would Emma want anything to do with that idiot?

“What?!” Emma’s head snapped up at Regina’s words. "No! Not at all!” Emma reached out and grasped Regina’s hand. “He’s not even a passing thought in my mind. I was actually thinking about how you love David Bowie, and I didn’t even know it!”

“Emma--”

“No. How long have I known you now?”

“It seems like a lifetime.” Regina smiled, warmly at Emma.

"Yeah, but I bet you know all my favorite music.” Regina instantly blushed. “See! You do, don’t you?” Green eyes shined at Regina.

“I know you listen to Fleetwood Mac when you’re feeling sad.” Regina paused. Should she really go on? Was she going to come across as creepy for knowing Emma so well? She cleared her throat and continued, “I know you like to run to nineties ‘angry girl music’ as Henry likes to call it… You also like to shower to classic jazz, like Ella Fitzgerald. That one was a recent discovery, as you well know.” Regina ducked her head down in embarrassment. She felt as if she’d shared too much.

“You’re amazing. You know that, right?” Emma squeezed Regina’s hand. “I obviously have some catching up to do. I mean, I know some stuff. Like how you have those butterscotch candies hidden in your desk drawers at work that you only indulge in after a stressful meeting. I also know you love to read horrible romance novels.”

“What?!” Regina turned bright red.

“You can’t deny it, can you? I must admit it’s pretty tricky how you change the covers to classic novels. Imagine the look of horror on my face when I picked up Moby Dick to read and discovered a completely different kind of dic--”

“Emma!” Regina covered her face with her hands. If she could poof out of the restaurant, she would have.

“It’s okay, Regina.” Emma stood up and slid in beside Regina and wrapped her arm around her. “We all have our quirks.”

“I’m mortified.” Regina dropped her hands and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder. “How can you even look at me?”

“I think it’s adorable.” Emma kissed her temple. “You don’t need to be ashamed of things that bring you joy, you know? Even if it’s cheesy romance novels.”

“Thank you.” They sat in silence for a moment. “You don’t need to be ashamed you don’t know everything about me either. We have all the time in the world to get to know each other better.” Regina kissed Emma’s cheek.

“I can’t wait.” Emma kissed Regina deeply. They pulled apart and smiled, warmly at each other. It was still so new to be able to show affection in public. Regina hoped when they returned to Storybrooke, Emma would finally tell the Charmings everything so this could continue. “We should probably go find Henry before he spends all his graduation money on video games.” They settled the bill and walked out of the restaurant hand in hand.

* * *

“These pants are amazing!”

“I’m glad you like them, dear.” Shopping for maternity clothes had been a success. Regina had expected a bit of a fight, but luckily Emma had been very receptive to everything. The fact that maternity clothes were much more stylish than Emma had expected helped.

“Look how stretchy they are!” Regina laughed as Emma pulled on the stretchy material of the maternity jeans she had on. “So freaking comfortable!”

“Do you have everything you think you’ll need?” Emma looked down at her pile of clothes and nodded.

“Yeah! Thanks, Regina. I think I needed to do this more than I knew… I feel so much better” She smiled brightly at Regina in the dressing room’s mirror.

“You look sexy in those pants, Sheriff.” Regina wasn’t even joking. Something about Emma being completely comfortable and smiling so brightly was turning her on.

“Oh, I do? You like my stretchy pants, Madam Mayor?” Regina walked up behind Emma and wrapped her arms around and rested her head on her shoulder.

“Very much so…” They looked into each other’s eyes in the mirror. “And look how easily I can…” Regina let her right hand slide down Emma’s belly and into the front of her pants.

“Oh, god… These _are_ the best pants ever.”

“You guys better not be being gross in there!” They jumped apart at Henry’s annoyed voice calling out.

“Busted.” Emma giggled at a blushing Regina.

“I got caught up in the moment. I’m sorry...”

“Don’t be, that was hot!” Emma kissed her cheek and started gathering up her clothes. “I’m buying like three pairs of these just so ya know.” Emma winked at her as she left the dressing room.

“Finally! I’m starving!”

“You are a bottomless pit!” Emma shoved an armful of clothes at him.

“What can I say? I take after you! Do you think the new kid will be just as bad as us?”

“I hope not. I’ll need a second refrigerator.” Regina walked past the pair with a smirk on her face.

“Oh. Ha-ha… I’m not that bad!” On cue, Emma’s stomach rumbled loudly.

“Sure, Ma.” Henry sped away before Emma could smack him.

* * *

“Henry, dear. It’s only day two you’re going to get tired of lobster mac and cheese if you get it every day.”

“It’s so good, though! For being a seaport town, there’s a surprising lack of good seafood in Storybrooke!”

“There wasn’t much love for seafood in the Enchanted Forrest. Granny hates it.”

“That explains why she stopped talking to me for a week when I suggested adding fish and chips to the menu.” Emma took a sip of her iced tea and cringed.

“You know you can add some sugar if you want to, Emma.”

Emma sheepishly grabbed a sugar packet and added it to her drink. “I’m trying!”

“I know, sweetheart.” Regina loved that Emma was trying to be healthier, but she didn’t like to see her suffer.

“We’re doing the horseback riding tomorrow?”

“Yes. It’s the lovely stables you found online. The trails sound amazing along the coastline.”

“Awesome!”

“Is it okay if I sit that out? I don’t normally like horses as it is…”

“Yes, of course. Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, Emma.” Regina bit her lip as she thought of something. “We planned this all before we knew you were coming. Is there anything you would like to do on this road trip?”

Emma shook her head. “Just being here with you both is enough for me.”

“Well, if you see anything along the way, let us know, we can adjust our plans.” Regina had a small fear Emma might be feeling left out. “This is as much your vacation as it is ours.”

“I’ll let you know if anything catches my eye, Regina.” Emma took a bite of her clam chowder and moaned. “Oh my god, this is so good.”

“You two and your food.”

* * *

‘Henry?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“How are you really feeling about being a big brother?” The mother and son were riding slowly along an oceanfront trail. The views were stunning. This was also the first time Regina had a chance to talk with Henry about everything alone.

“I’m happy for you guys. I really am…” He bit his lip and looked out at the ocean.

“But?” Regina could see something was bothering him.

“I guess I feel a little… I don't know? Jealous, maybe?”

“How so, dear?”

“I know you said the baby isn’t a replacement for me, but I can’t help but feel like it is… It’s not realistic, I know.”

“You know you’re mother felt the same way about Neal.”

“She did?”

“Yes, and she was thirty.” They shared a small laugh. “Change is never easy. She had just found her parents after being alone for so long. Your feelings are valid; it’s okay to feel a bit jealous. You’ve had us to yourself for a long time.”

“I have. I guess it’s time I learn to share you guys with a new kid, though. You’re going to be amazing parents. Maybe that’s what it is. This kid gets to be raised by you both together.”

“I know we had our rough patches, Henry. But I cherish the time we had together when you were little.”

“I do too, Mom. I wouldn’t change it...” He patted the side of his horse’s head. “I’m looking forward to spending time with Gigi.”

“I’m glad. I think it will be good for you both. I know Roland will love having you around.”

“He’s ten now?”

“I believe so, yes…” It all seemed so much longer ago than it actually was.

“The same age, I was when I went and found Emma.”

Regina stopped her horse. Something about that made her instantly tear up.

“Mom? Are you okay?” Henry had a concerned look on his face as he turned around to look at her.

“I’m fine.” She eased her horse up beside his and reached out and grasped his hand. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being a stubborn little boy. For stealing your teacher’s credit card. For running off to Boston and for bringing Emma home.” She cleared her throat which was suddenly tight. “I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for any of that.”

“Nope. You only ever grounded me for it.” He smiled a crooked smile and winked at her before he kicked at the side of his horse and took off. “I’m going to beat you back!”

“Cheater!” She laughed loudly as she took off after her son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter - noname_kat


	7. back to the other news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

Regina woke up suddenly when Emma sat up in their shared bed and gasped. She watched as the blonde slowly reached down and placed a shaky hand on her stomach.

“Emma? Is everything okay?!” Regina’s heart felt like it was going to beat through her chest. She reached out and placed her hand on top of Emma’s.

“Yeah, yeah…” Emma turned to Regina with shiny eyes. “I just felt...here…” Emma moved her hand to the top of Regina’s. Regina could feel the warmth radiating from Emma’s belly, and then suddenly, she felt a little flutter under her palm.

“Was that--?”

“A kick? Yeah…” Emma’s smile was radiant. Regina bent over and pushed Emma’s shirt back and placed a small kiss on her belly. She giggled as she felt a tiny kick against her lips. Tears instantly filled Regina’s eyes.

“Hello, sweetheart.” Regina placed her palm against Emma’s belly once more and felt another light kick. “Amazing.” She looked back up into Emma’s eyes. “You’re amazing.” Emma blushed, and Regina instantly moved up and kissed her deeply. 

They pulled apart and smiled at each other. “I’m not ready to go back to Storybrooke tomorrow.”

“Emma. We can’t stay on vacation forever…”

“I know. It’s just been so nice to be away from the craziness.” Emma fell back into the bed, and Regina curled up into her side.

“Are you sure it’s not just having to face your parents that’s bothering you?” Regina felt Emma’s body stiffen at hearing her question. Regina pulled back and looked at Emma. She wondered what would be harder for Emma to tell them. That she was pregnant? Or that she was dating the former Evil Queen, who tried to kill them for years… “Emma. If you don’t want to tell them about us, I understand. You, however, will have to tell them about the pregnancy.” She cringed as her voice cracked. The fact that Emma didn’t want to share the news of their love stung, but she understood. It had just been so lovely to be open and free with their affection while on this trip.

“Regina…” Regina placed her finger over Emma’s lips. She didn’t want to hear any excuses right now. Maybe she was being dramatic, but she just wasn’t in the mood. She removed her finger and placed a small kiss on Emma’s lips.

“Just go back to sleep, Emma.” She pulled the covers back up over their bodies and rolled onto her side, facing away from Emma. “We’ll figure it out later…” She heard Emma sigh, but she didn’t say anything as she settled back down into the covers. They were still so early in their relationship. True Love didn’t equal instant perfection. There were still a lot of emotions they needed to work through.

* * *

“Henry? Do you have everything in the car?” Regina took one last look around the room as she called through the connecting door to Henry’s room.

“Yeah!” He was sitting in a chair, texting away on his phone, probably to Violet. The two had settled on just being friends, and it had actually made Regina a little sad. The young girl had grown on her over the years.

Emma stumbled into the room with a drink carrier and a large bag of what Regina assumed was doughnuts. She hadn’t been in bed when Regina had woken up in the morning. Emma had left a note on her pillow, and for a few panicked heart-beats, Regina thought she might have run away. Luckily the note just said she was going on a coffee run and would be back soon. Regina kicked herself for thinking the worst. Emma was way beyond that stage in her life. Sometimes old fears have a way of sneaking up on you.

“Hey…” Emma handed Regina her coffee with a small, sad smile on her face. “Are we okay?”

Regina took the coffee and placed a soft kiss on Emma’s cheek. “Yes, of course we are.” Regina saw Emma’s shoulders relax a bit at her words. “I’m sorry if I got a little distant last night…”

Emma shook her head. “You were fine, Regina. I… I know I’m not handling telling my parents about any of this like I should. I’m nearly forty years old for crying out loud.” She again shook her head. “Can you help me set up some appointments with Archie when we get home?”

“I will. I think it might also be good if we visit him together a few times?” She’d been thinking about asking her to visit Archie with her on one of her appointments. The fact that Emma brought it up first made her very pleased.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Regina leaned in and kissed Emma. She could taste a mixture of chocolate and coffee on the blonde’s lips.

“No frosted chocolate doughnuts, Ma?!” They turned to see Henry digging through the bag of fried doughy goodness.

“Sorry, Kid. They were all out.” She giggled as his face scrunched up in disappointment. 

“Lame.” He shoved a maple bar into his mouth. It was so hard to be a teenager.

* * *

Regina shivered as she felt the magic wash over her as they crossed the town line. She glanced over at the sleeping Savior in the passenger seat and smiled when she didn’t even stir. It was a beautiful sunny day in Storybrooke. Everything seemed to be okay with the small town as she drove past Grannys on Main Street. She turned down Mifflin and rolled her eyes when she saw the Charmings minivan in their driveway. She knew Emma shouldn’t have called them at the last stop. It was so like them to show up uninvited. 

“Emma.” She reached over and shook Emma’s knee. “We’ve got company.” Emma stirred and rubbed her hands through her hair. It took her a second to figure out where they were. Then her eyes landed on the minivan.

“I guess this is it…” She watched as Emma looked down at her belly. It was way too warm to wear a jacket or sweater.

“I can go in and demand that they leave?” Regina had no problem being the bad guy, especially when it came to the two idiots.

“No. There’s no need for that.” Emma turned and smiled at Regina. “I can do this.”

Regina pulled into the driveway and put the car into park. She turned to Emma and saw she had a very determined look on her face. It was adorable. Soon a squealing Neal came running out of the mansion and pulled open Emma’s door. “Emma!”

“Hey, Kid!” Emma slid out of the car and picked the young boy up and swung him around. Neal’s laughter and the happy look on Emma’s face made Regina’s heart soar. Soon they’d have a new little one to play with, one that was all theirs…

“Careful, he just ate.” A smiling David came out to greet them.

“Uh-oh, don’t spew on me, kid.” Emma set Neal down on the ground and ruffled his hair.

“Welcome back!” David pulled Emma into a hug, and Regina held her breath. “Can I help bring your stuff in?” David smiled as he pulled back from Emma and walked to the back of the car. Regina shook her head and smirked. He’d always be the oblivious, idiot Shepard…

Emma glanced over at her, and Regina could only shrug. “Thanks, Dad.”

“No problem, sweetheart. You’re Mom is inside, putting together some food for you all. I’m sure you’re hungry. We managed to keep your plants alive, Regina.” Regina rolled her eyes. Snow had insisted on watering her plants while they were away. Little did Snow know that Regina had already cast a spell that kept them adequately watered and fed daily. She had to change the spell, knowing Snow was going to end up drowning the poor plants otherwise.

It only took a couple of trips to get everything inside. They abandoned the suitcases in the laundry room and carried the gifts and souvenirs they had bought into the dining room. Henry showed off his favorite items and gave Neal all the little trinkets he had bought him on the trip. Emma was showing off a few things to David. A sudden gasp from the doorway signaled the arrival of Snow White.

“Emma?!” Regina turned to look over at the blonde. She was surprised to find a radiant smile upon her face. Snow walked over to her slowly. Like she was afraid Emma would turn and run at any second. Regina watched as both women’s eyes filled with tears. Snow reached a tentative hand out, but before she placed it on Emma’s belly, she looked up at Emma for permission. Emma nodded and covered Snow’s hand with her own when she put it on her small round belly. “How far along are you?”

“What?!” A confused David looked on with a shocked look on his face. Regina decided to speak up.

“Maybe we should all have a seat?” Everyone nodded silently and took a seat around the dining room table. Regina sat next to Emma and grabbed her hand under the table. She gave it a squeeze of encouragement, knowing Emma’s heart was probably beating a million miles per hour. 

“So… Surprise! I’m pregnant!” Regina chuckled. She loved her dork so much. “Also…” Regina’s heart stopped as Emma pulled their clasped hands from under the table and held them up. “...Regina and I are in love!” The stunned look on the Charming’s face was priceless. Henry held up his phone and snapped a picture and giggled.

“I ---” Snow looked around the table a moment. Soon she just shook her head and started to laugh. Soon David joined her, and next, everyone was laughing. Except for Regina. She wasn’t laughing.

“It’s not a joke, Snow.”

The room was suddenly silent again, but Snow was still smiling. “I know it’s not a joke, Regina. I’m just surprised it took you both this long to figure it out!” David started to nod, and Regina wanted to slap both of them, hard.

“Seriously?” Emma turned and smiled at Regina. She brought their hands up to her mouth and kissed Regina’s, and all her anger melted away. 

“Now, back to the other news…” Snow gestured to Emma’s belly. “I’m assuming it Hook’s?”

Emma’s grip tightened on Regina’s hand. Regina ran her thumb over Emma’s to help her calm down. Emma soon cleared her throat and spoke. “Yes, it is...technically. But, he’s not going to have anything to do with this child. As far as I’m concerned, this child is mine and Regina’s.” The blonde smiled shyly over at Regina. Regina’s heart soared at Emma’s words. To hear her make that declaration out loud made her feel happier than she could ever describe. It made it all so real, and it was real.

David being the idiot he was, had to speak up, “Shouldn’t you at least tell Kil---”

“David, not now, sweetheart.” Snow reached over and gave his cheek a small loving pat. “I’m going to get the food I have ready served up. Regina? Would you help me?” Regina nodded and followed the petite brunette into the kitchen.

Regina was happy to see her kitchen was still in one piece. The food even smelled pretty good.

“Before you say anything, Granny made the food. I just heated it up.” Snow gave her a wink, and Regina laughed.

“I wasn’t going to say a word...”

“You were thinking it, though…”

“Maybe…” Again they shared a laugh. Their friendship had come a long way over the years. They plated dishes in a comfortable silence. Soon Henry was called in to deliver plates to the dining room. As the last two plates were carried out Snow grabbed Regina and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m happy for you both. Don’t ever doubt that.” Regina’s throat instantly contracted and she nearly sobbed. She could only squeeze Snow tighter to let the woman know she understood.

* * *

Later that evening, after the Charming clan had headed out, Regina and Emma were sitting outside enjoying the fresh night air.

“I feel so much lighter.” Emma smiled over at Regina. “I didn’t realize just how much that was weighing me down. I’m sorry I didn’t do it earlier…”

Regina shook her head. “You did it when it was right for you.” She took a moment to think about her next words. “I want to thank you.”

“What for?” 

“For telling them about us, you didn't need---” Emma placed a finger on her lips before she could continue.

“Yes, I did.” She replaced her finger with her lips, and they kissed. Emma pulled back and wrapped Regina up in a tight hug. “I love you, Regina Mills.”

“I love you too, Emma Swan.”


	8. of all the crazy things

“Did you find him?” Regina paced back and forth in front of the full-length mirror in her crypt.

“Yes.”

“And?” She turned to look at Gigi. She couldn’t read the Queen’s face as she waited for the answer to her question.

“He’s dead.”

“What?! I only asked you to track him down! Not kill him?!” Regina only wanted to make sure Hook was staying away from her family.

“Calm yourself. He was already dead when the sea-witch tracked him down.”

“You had Ursula track him down?” She hadn’t even thought of Ursula in years.

“She has a few friends in the sea, you know…”

“She didn’t?” Regina clenched at her stomach. She should have been more specific when she asked the Queen to track Hook down for her. She should have made things more clear.

“No, she’s no longer living the evil life. You’ve rubbed that redemption stank on nearly everyone by now… Not just me.” Regina could see a small smirk on Gigi’s lips.

“How?”

“Mutiny. It seems Smee finally grew a pair and took the Jolly Roger for himself.”

“Interesting.” Regina honestly didn’t think Smee had it in him. Of all the crazy things to take down the filthy pirate after all these years. He really had lost himself...

“Are you going to tell Miss Swan?” Would this news upset Emma? Would it be too stressful for her and the baby?

“I--” She had to tell her. She took a deep breath; secrets between them were a thing of the past. “Of course, I will. She deserves to know.”

“I thought you’d say that.” Gigi walked to the mirror. A swirl of purple magic washed over her hand, and a small black bag appeared. “Here, proof. In case she needs it.” Gigi moved her hand into the mirror and handed the bag to Regina.

“I’m still not used to that.” Regina took the bag; she didn’t need to open it. The feel of death on the curved hook inside made her shudder.

“Are you okay?” Regina looked back through the mirror at Gigi. She honestly didn’t know how she felt.

“Yes. I’m just not looking forward to telling Emma.”

“It has to be a bit of a relief, though?” Regina couldn’t argue with that. It was true. She was not upset that the pirate was dead. “Oh, don’t feel guilty that bastard is dead, Regina.”

“I’m not. He made his own death bed.” She just wasn’t sure how Emma would take the news…

“So when can I expect Henry?” Thankful for a change of subject, Regina smiled at Gigi.

“He’s been getting all his things together.” Henry had been a ball of nervous energy all week. “I believe he was going to get in touch with you tonight and set up a time to head over this weekend.”

“Can I expect you to accompany him?” The soft, uncertain look on Gigi’s face made Regina pause. They would always be insecure, she mused.

“No. I trust you. I trust him.” The smile that broke out on Gigi’s face was brilliant.

“I’m truly looking forward to having him here. It will be so nice to get to spend time with him.”

“He’s looking forward to it as well.” She smiled, remembering something Henry had brought up at dinner last night. “He’s also looking forward to spending time with his brother.” Gigi’s eyes were shining when they met Regina’s once again.

“Roland is looking forward to seeing Henry, as well. It’s all he’s been talking about since I told him he was coming to stay with us.” Regina took in the riding outfit the Queen was wearing. It’d been so long since she’d gone for a ride herself…

“I was hoping that maybe after a few weeks, I could come over for a visit? It’s been far too long since I went for a horseback ride along the cliffs…” She knew she didn’t need to explain herself anymore to the Queen. She knew every layer of meaning in that statement.

“That sounds like an excellent plan.” The sound of Rob calling out made Gigi turn away from Regina for a moment. He never came into view, and Regina couldn’t hear what the two were saying. She took the break in the conversation to think of the craziness of the past few months. Everyone's lives had changed so quickly. “I need to go check on a nearby village. An Ogre has decided to make himself known.” Off Regina’s concerned look, Gigi held up her hand in a calming manner. “He hasn’t done anything. They pop up now and then when their supplies run low. No worries, I promise.”

“I trust you to handle it.” She smirked at the Queen.

“As you should.” She turned to make her leave but stopped and turned back to Regina. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this...but if the Charming idiots would like to join you when you come over, they may. It’d be nice for Neal to spend some time with Henry and Roland to get some riding in. We can have a picnic along the cliffs…” Regina knew her eyes went as wide as saucers at Gigi’s words. “Oh, stop it. We are all family now, are we not?”

“We are. We truly are.”

* * *

Regina entered the mansion and kicked off her heels with a sigh. She wasn’t sure how to tell Emma about Hook’s death. Regina didn’t want anything to upset Emma so close to her due date. She smiled to herself, knowing Emma still had about six weeks until she was due and would tell her as much if she brought it up. The sound of music being played upstairs drew her away from her stray thoughts. She headed up and found the music coming from the nursery. She leaned against the door frame and tried not to laugh at the sight before her. Emma and Henry were putting together the crib or were trying to at least.

“Kid! I know what I’m doing! I put Neal’s crib together!”

“That was like six years ago, Ma! These things change over time, you know?”

“How different can it possibly be?” Emma looked over the instructions. Regina’s heart melted as she watched the blonde squint at the instructions and pout.

“Need some help, dear?” Regina made herself known, and two sets of eyes popped up and grew wide.

“No magic!” Both mother and son called out at once, and Regina held her hands up in mock defense.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She rolled her eyes. The duo had decided early on that the baby’s room would be put together with zero magic. It all had to be done by hand, and Regina didn’t argue. She truly loved the idea. “Looks like you're almost done?”

“Just the crib is left.” Emma moved to get up and failed miserably. “Ugh, help me up, kid.” Henry popped up from his seated position and helped Emma to her feet. 

“Henry, your other mother, would like a call to iron out the last details of your move over. The sooner, the better.” She smiled as she watched her son’s face light up.

“On it!” He turned to leave the room but stopped and turned to Emma with a puzzled look on his face.

“We’ll finish this later, kid. No worries.” He smiled brightly at Emma and ran out of the room. Emma turned to her then, and Regina could see the woman saw right through her. Sometimes it irritated her that she couldn’t hide anything from Emma even if she wanted to. “Are you okay?”

“Actually… I have some news.” She led Emma over to the small couch they had put along the wall of the nursery. She grabbed Emma’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “A few weeks ago, I asked Gigi to do me a favor.” Off of Emma’s curious expression, Regina took a deep breath and continued. “I asked her to track down Killian.” She braced herself for the worst, but Emma didn’t even flinch, so she kept going. “She, in turn, contacted Ursula who managed to track down the Jolly Roger--”

“And?”

“He’s dead, Emma.” Emma didn’t say anything, she just stood up and walked over to the window and looked out at the backyard garden, 

“How?”

“Munity. Smee, believe it or not.” She watched as Emma’s head bobbed up in down, but the woman never turned around. Regina wasn’t sure if she should go to Emma or just let her have her moment. She was about to turn and leave, but then Emma finally spoke up.

“Are we sure? He has a way of not staying dead?” She turned then and looked at Regina with wide eyes. Regina took two tentative steps towards the blonde. She couldn’t read Emma’s emotions on the matter, and it was making her a bit nervous. Holding out her hand with the palm facing up, she used her other hand and waved over it. As the purple magic smoke cleared, the small bag containing Killian’s hook appeared. Emma reached out and took the bag out of her hand. Regina watched as Emma shivered and placed it back down into her palm. “That answers that.” She put one arm under her belly and then around the top, hugging herself. “I don’t know how to feel. Is that weird?”

“Not in the slightest.” Regina moved forward and wrapped Emma up in a tight hug. “Deal with this however you need to. No one will judge.” She pulled back and cupped Emma’s cheek. “Do you need anything from me?”

Emma shook her head. “No, I think I just need a bit of time to process.” A small smile appeared on her face, and Regina gave the blonde a curious look. “Good thing I already have an appointment with Archie tomorrow, huh?”

Regina leaned forward and kissed Emma softly on the lips. “Let me know if you need me to do anything for you, okay?”

“Maybe you could let Henry know?” Emma paused. “And maybe my parents, I don’t know if I could handle their reactions...whatever they may be.”

“I actually already asked Gigi to let Henry know, and I’ll handle the two idiots,” Regina smirked at Emma and managed to get her to smile. “Why don’t you go rest up for a bit, and I’ll work on dinner?” They shared a quick kiss, and Regina watched as Emma headed to their room. Hopefully, this would be the last time Killian Jones ever caused any stress for her family.

* * *

“Maybe now isn’t the best time for me to go to the Enchanted Forest?” Regina turned to face her son. He had a very conflicted look on his face.

“Why do you say that, dear?” She knew how much he’d been looking forward to staying with his other mother. “Did Gigi say something?” Regina didn’t think the woman would have changed her mind in the last hour since she had talked to her.

“No. Mom is really looking forward to it. It’s just with the baby coming and this news about Hook--”

“You’re worried about Emma?” She smiled softly at her son. He would always worry too much about his family…always putting their happiness before his own. “My sweet, little prince.” She stepped forward and grasped his shoulders. “Emma will be fine. You’re one mirror call away if anything should come up. You’ll probably get to the hospital before we do.” They both laughed, and she reached out and grasped his chin. “Emma will mourn in her own way when it comes to Killian. We need to trust that she can handle it, okay?” He nodded and they shared a hug. “Do you have everything almost ready for Saturday?”

He nodded as they pulled apart. “Yeah. Is it okay if I take Roland some of my old comics?”

“They’re yours to do with as you please, dear. That’s very nice of you.” Henry just nodded wordlessly. He turned back to the vegetables he was cutting up for a beef stew they were working on for dinner.

They worked in silence as they continued to prep the stew. The pressure cooker Henry had gotten her for Christmas was, as far as Regina was concerned, magic. The time it took to make certain items was cut way down, and she loved it. Once the stew was all set, she started on making a quick and easy chocolate pudding for dessert. Emma had been having lots of cravings for chocolate in the last few weeks, and Regina had gone to great lengths to make sure Emma got everything she wanted. 

“Do I smell chocolate?” 

“Yes, but you can’t have any until after dinner.”

“Awww…” Regina turned and looked at the pouting blonde woman. She instantly broke out laughing at what she saw. “What?”

“Where did you get that?!’ Henry then turned to look at his mother and broke out laughing as well.

“Snow got it for me. I knew you guys would get a good laugh out of it.” Emma’s smile was radiant as she held out her arms and did a little twirl. Her pregnant belly filled out the Winnie the Pooh onesie perfectly. “I have a rumbly in my tumbly for some chocolate, please.” Again she smiled brightly, and Regina knew she was outmatched by Emma’s adorableness.

"Fine, you can lick the spoon.” She held it out, and Emma cheered as she took it from her.

“Thank you!”

“Thank Snow for giving you the power of extreme cuteness.” Emma winked at her as she gave the spoon a seductive lick. “Are you trying to be sexy dressed like that, dear?”

“Maybe?” Regina shook her head and leaned and kissed Emma on the forehead.

Lowering her voice so she wouldn’t traumatize their son, she whispered into Emma’s ear, “I have a much sexier outfit that I plan on seducing you in later, dear.” She placed a kiss onto Emma’s chocolate cover lips and giggled at the stunned look on Emma’s face. She loved teasing Emma so much and knew the woman’s hormones were raging.

“You’re evil.” Emma attempted to look serious but couldn’t pull it off in the Pooh onesie.

“And you love me for it.” 

“I really do.” They shared another kiss. This one got a bit more heated...

“Moms!” They jumped apart.

“Sorry!” They weren’t really, though.

  
  
  
  



	9. magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on this being a little bit longer, but I got to a certain point and decided to end the chapter there. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up a bit quicker than I'm typically known for.. lol ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

Regina kissed Emma’s temple as the blonde giggled and gently pushed her back. She watched as Emma melted into the bed, blissful from her third orgasm of the evening. “I love you, Regina.”

“I love you too, darling. Now, get some sleep.” Regina had never felt love like this before. She leaned forward and kissed Emma once again. She watched Emma lovingly as she started to drift off into a satisfied slumber. Regina smiled as the blonde’s face began to relax before she settled down into the bed and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder. The sight of Emma’s beautiful rounded belly lay before her, and her heart swelled with pure joy. How lucky and blessed was she? To get to this brilliant moment from where she once had been in her life. She didn’t let the thoughts of her past cloud the pure bliss she was currently feeling. She reached out with her hand and slid it tenderly over Emma’s belly. Letting her palm slowly caress the soft skin below it, she felt all the love she had inside her flow through her. Thoughts of their love and family filled all her senses with an intense feeling of pure peace.

A sudden deep lavender light flowed from her hand and shone brightly, lighting up Emma’s belly in a warm yellow glow. Regina quickly pulled back her hand and gasped. What had she just done?!

“What was that?” Regina turned to see sleepy green eyes looking at her.

“I-- I don’t know! I was just rubbing your belly, and it happened.” Regina turned back to look at Emma’s stomach, and there was no longer any sight of magic. “Do you feel okay?” She wanted to wrap her up in a tight hug but didn’t know if it was a good idea with what had just happened.

“Yeah.” Emma reached down and ran a hand over her belly. “It felt warm and… I’m not sure how to describe it, but it just felt...comforting? Maybe?”

“Are you sure?” If she did anything to hurt Emma or the baby, she’d never forgive herself.

“Yeah, I feel fine.” Regina could see the unspoken concern on Emma’s face despite her words. She hopped out of bed and used magic to dress them both. “What are you doing?”

“We’re going to the hospital.”

“Regina…”

“No. No arguing. I want to make sure everything is okay.” Regina felt foolish as she stomped her foot down on her last word, but her emotions were getting the best of her. Tears were starting to roll down her cheeks.

“Hey--” Emma got up and wrapped her arms around Regina. “Okay, we’ll go. It’ll be okay.”

“You don’t know that!” Regina’s voice hitched as she answered back. She needed to hold it together. “Let’s go.” She pulled away from Emma but clasped her hand. She thought for a second about using magic to get them there, but she didn’t trust herself with it suddenly. Regina phoned Whale and yelled at him to meet them at the hospital. She didn’t give him a chance to ask any questions before she ended the call.

“Want me to drive?”

“Emma…”

“Sorry...sorry. I promise you. I feel fine.”

“I just---”

“Want to make sure. I get it.” They got into the SUV and headed to the hospital. The car ride was quiet, too quiet for a certain blonde. “I actually feel pretty amazing, to be honest.”

“Emma...”

“No, like really. I feel great! Did you maybe do a healing spell on me? Like I have none of the aches and pains I’ve been feeling lately.”

“I suppose…” She’d just been having feelings of pure love. Maybe that could have made her healing magic flare-up?

“Maybe it was some leftover sexytime magic. That was some amazing sex, your Majesty.” Emma wiggled her eyebrows, and Regina tried to stifle a laugh. 

“Stop it. I’m freaking out over here.”

“I know, and that’s why I love you. Always looking out for us, aren’t you?” Emma rubbed her belly and smiled brightly.

“Of course, I am.”

“If I could manage it, I’d kiss you right now, but ya know...belly won’t let me get over there.”

“It’s the thought that counts, dear.” She pulled into the hospital parking lot and headed for the ER entrance. She was stunned to see a large gathering of nurses, doctors, and townspeople waiting for them.

“Uh, Regina? What’d you tell Whale?”

“I just told him to get to the hospital because something had happened to you?” She supposed she could have sounded a bit frantic in the moment.

“Why are my parents here?!”

Regina looked ahead and saw the Charmings pushing through the crowd to meet the car at the curb. What the hell? “No idea…” She stopped the car, and David immediately ripped open the passenger door.

“Sweetheart! Is everything okay?! What can I do?!”

“I’m fine, Dad.” He cupped Emma’s face and smooshed her cheeks like she was a hurt toddler.

“What the hell is going on?!” Regina glared at him and out at the crowd.

“We were all at Granny’s when you called Whale.” Snow pushed David aside and cupped Emma’s face more gently than David had been doing. “Are you sure you’re okay, sweetheart? What happened?” Snow’s concerned squeaky voice made Regina roll her eyes. If she weren’t actually still worried about Emma and the baby, she would drive away.

“All at Granny’s? What time is it?” Emma looked back at Regina, confused. Regina’s cheeks reddened at the question. She may have fibbed about the time of day to get Emma into bed early.

“It’s eight o’clock...”

“Seriously?”

“I didn’t think you minded the early bedtime…”

“Well, no, it was nice.” The goofy grin on Emma’s face made Snow’s face scrunch up.

“Okay, TMI… Wait. You didn’t hurt her...ya know?” Snow made some odd gestures with her hands.

“Oh, god! Mom! No!” Emma attempted to slide-down in the car seat due to embarrassment but couldn’t because of her giant belly. “Ugh.”

A brilliant plume of purple smoke suddenly appeared in front of the car. “Moms!” Henry and Gigi were standing before them with very concerned looks on their faces.

“Snow, tell me you didn’t call our son!” He hadn’t even been away for an entire week yet.

“I… I was worried!!” Snow cringed.

Shaking her head, Regina got out of the car and walked over to the newly arrived duo. “Henry, everything’s okay. I was just bringing Emma to get checked out over something, and things got a little out of hand...” She turned to glare at Snow who at least had the decency to look embarrassed

“Are you sure?” Regina wasn’t actually one hundred percent sure, but she put on a smile for Henry’s sake. 

“Yes, my prince.” She cupped his chin. “Now, go help your mother out of the car.” She turned to Gigi and knew immediately that the Queen saw right through her smile. She reached out and clasped the Queen’s hand. “Please stay. I need to talk with you about something.” Gigi wordlessly nodded and squeezed Regina’s hand in return before Regina turned back to the crowd. “Okay. Anyone not related to me in some odd way. Leave! Family and needed hospital staff inside now!”

* * *

Regina watched as Dr. Whale read over the charts after Emma’s examination. “Well?”

He pursed his lips while shaking his head, and Regina wanted to strangle him. “Everything appears to be perfect.” He snapped the chart shut and looked at them blankly.

“Appears?!”

“Regina…” Emma placed a calming hand on her back and rubbed circles trying to keep her calm.

“Sorry, Everything is fine. I don’t see anything unusual in any of the scans or blood work. You saw for yourself during the ultrasound. Everything is perfect, your Majesty.”

“Thanks, Doc. You think you can give me and her highness here some privacy?” Whale nodded and left the room as quickly as he could. Regina didn’t blame him. She had been awful to him since they had gotten inside. “You, okay?”

“No.” Regina pulled away from Emma and crossed her arms.

“Regina…”

“I did magic on you and the baby! I don’t even know what I did and --” Regina felt ill.

“What?”

“I feel like I’ve violated you…”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You did no such thing. Get back over here.” Emma motioned for Regina to come to her. Regina sat down on the hospital bed and leaned into the blonde but kept her arms crossed. “Whatever it was, wasn’t bad. I know it, I can feel it. I can’t really describe the feeling, but it’s good. I promise you that.”

“You didn’t have a say in it, though. That’s not right.”

“You didn’t either, though, did you? So how is this your fault?” Regina just stayed silent. She didn’t know what to say because she didn’t know what the hell had happened. She cuddled into Emma’s side more and pouted. “You’re adorable when you pout.”

“Stop.” She just wished she had the answer to what the magic was.

“I’m never going to stop loving you, madam Mayor.”

“Sorry to interrupt this nauseating but tender moment, but maybe I can help?” Gigi was leaning against the door frame, and Regina wondered how long she’d been standing there. She walked over to them and looked at them pointedly. “Tell me everything and exactly how it happened.”

* * *

After a quick visit with Henry and the Charmings, they sent them off to get some rest. Next, they filled the Queen in on all the details of the night that they could remember. Regina sat back and watched as the woman paced the room, grasping her chin in thought. “See? There’s no explanation!”

“Calm down. Emma’s obviously fine.” Gigi pointed to the savior who just smiled in return. Gigi walked over to Emma and held out her hand. “May I?” She gestured to Emma’s belly, and Emma nodded her permission. Gigi closed her eyes, and a warm wave of purple magic flowed from her hand. After a few moments, she stopped and turned to look at Regina and smiled. “You said you were feeling nothing but love when the magic happened, correct?”

“Yes, it’s all I remember thinking and feeling, why?” She stepped closer to the Queen, looking her right in the eyes.

“You two shared a true love’s kiss, I assume?” Regina felt herself blush, and she glanced over to Emma, who was also blushing. “Really, you two are so gross.” She winked at Regina.

“What are you getting at, Gigi?” 

“Give me your hand, Regina.” Regina lifted her hand up to Gigi, who took it and placed it onto Emma’s belly. “Now. I need you to reach out with your magic and feel.” She put her hand on top of Regina’s. The feeling of the Queen’s magic mixed with her own made her gasp. The power was unbelievable. “Emma, place your hand on top of mine, please.” Emma placed her hand on top of Gigi’s, and the color of their combined magic changed to light lilac. “Now, I need you both to concentrate. Reach out to your child and feel the love.”

Regina wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she felt it. There was no way it was possible. How could it be possible?! She opened her eyes, and green eyes filled with tears greeted her, looking at her with so much love. “How?!” She turned to Gigi, who also had tears in her eyes.

“Magic.”

  
  



	10. it's time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! 
> 
> Is everyone doing well? Life is so odd at the moment, and I hope everyone is finding something that brings them joy during these stressful days. I may not always update as quickly as I would like, but please know I'll always do my best to bring you what I can when I can. :)
> 
> Once again... I know nothing about being pregnant or giving birth. All information about this subject I have learned from 80s and 90s tv sitcoms. lol
> 
> Enjoy!

Regina sat back and smiled as she watched Emma waddle around the kitchen. Emma was radiant. Pregnancy was gorgeous on her...when she wasn't grumpy about it. Not that Regina blamed the woman when she was. It wasn't easy growing a life inside of you, and Regina could see the toll it'd been taking on the blonde. Ever since the little magical incident a few days ago, though, she'd been blessed with a burst of energy and light. 

"You seem extra happy today, dear." Emma turned and smiled brightly. Regina felt silly, blushing from just seeing the joy on Emma's face.

"Well, let's see… I'm due to give birth at any moment. I've been blessed with some super True Love magic, oh, and I'm also crazy in love. I say I have every reason to be happy." Regina smiled brightly at Emma's words.

"I am happy as well, dear." She stood and placed a quick kiss on Emma's lips. "What time is your mother going to be here?"

"Any moment." Emma turned back to the food she was preparing for lunch. "How do you think she'll take the news?"

"Her head will probably explode in a brilliant rainbow-colored plume." Regina grabbed a carrot from Emma's cutting board and winked.

"You're so right." As if summoned by magic, the front door opened, and they heard Snow call out a hello.

"In the kitchen!" Regina tried to glare at Emma for yelling, but she couldn't get the smile off her face right now even if she tried.

"Hello!" Snow came sweeping into the kitchen with her arms full of packages.

"What's all this?"

"Oh, just a few more things for the baby--"

"Mom…"

"I know, I know, but I can't help myself! It's all just so cute! Look at this bib!" Snow held up a small yellow bib that was adorned with a cute baby swan wearing a crown.

"Okay, that's actually adorable." Regina walked over to Snow and took the bib into her hands. She smiled down at it lovingly and traced the crown with her fingertip. It all still seemed so surreal that this was happening. 

"Emma! Why are you cooking?! You shouldn't even be up and about!" Regina turned her attention back to Snow, who was trying to force Emma to sit.

"Snow, she's fine…"

"No, she's not! She was just in the hospital! She needs to rest--"

"Snow…"

"She shouldn't even be on her feet! Think of the baby."

"Mom…"

"You just had a scare, Emma! Go sit down. Regina really--"

"SNOW!" Finally, Snow shut-up, when Regina slightly amplified her voice with magic to get her attention. "Stop being such a Mary Margaret and sit down!" 

Regina saw Emma start to laugh before she turned around to finish the lunch she was preparing on the stove. 

"Fine." She flopped down into a chair with a little pout on her face.

"Now that you've settled down." Emma placed a plate in front of Regina and kissed her temple. "Let's enjoy this lovely meal your daughter prepared for us together."

"I'm sorry… I don't mean to be overprotective. I just worry." Snow smiled up at Emma as she placed a plate in front of her, also kissing her temple.

"It's okay, mom. I get it. Don't let Regina fool you. She's plenty overprotective for all of us…"

"Hey!" They all shared a laugh as Emma sat down with her own plate of food.

They enjoyed their lunch with some small talk about the farm and Neal. He was a bit sad about Henry leaving town, but he'd gotten to talk with Henry through his mirror a few times now and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Once they'd finished lunch, they headed to the back porch, and Regina served them all some iced tea.

"So, we do have something to tell you about the baby." Emma held her hand out to Regina, and she grasped it as she sat down.

Snow was about to say something, and Regina just held her hand up to stop her. "Let her explain everything, and then you can ask questions at the end, okay?" Snow nodded, and Regina turned back to Emma and smiled.

"Okay." Emma took a sip of her tea and looked to be thinking about what to say. She bit her bottom lip in thought, and Regina had to hold herself back from kissing her for being so damned adorable. "Okay, I'm not sure how to explain it, but Regina is now officially the other baby parent, not Hook. It's from the True Love magic we share. True Love's Kiss, but like more powerful? Yadda, yadda, yadda…magic, yay! The baby is totally Regina's! You get it, right?"

Regina's eyebrow slowly raised higher and higher as Emma rambled on… She knew Emma wasn't always the best at explaining things, but this was just pathetic. The sound of Snow's laughter stopped her from saying anything to Emma, however.

"Oh my goodness, Emma. That was bad even for you." Emma looked a bit sheepish, but Snow shook her head and reached out and grasped Emma's hand. "You are so much like your father, I swear. Before you two say anymore, I know all about the True Love magic baby momma miracle." Regina rolled her eyes but also smiled over at a blushing Emma.

"And how did you find out this information, Snow?" Regina had a pretty good idea…

"Gigi told me."

"Seriously?!" Regina thought for sure it was going to be Henry. "Then why were you just so annoying about Emma in the kitchen?"

"I like to see you two squirm sometimes." Snow shrugged and winked at her, and Regina could only smirk. "But really, Regina? Stop being such a Mary Margaret?"

"If the shoe fits, my dear…" They all shared another laugh while Regina refilled everyone's iced teas.

* * *

It was, of course, in the middle of the night when it happened. 

"Shit!" The sudden sound of Emma cursing awoke Regina from a deep, pleasant sleep.

"What's wrong?" She turned over to look at Emma and found her standing beside the bed. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm so sorry…"

"For what?"

"My water broke and got all over the bed and made a mess!"

"Oh, well, that's okay… Wait! WHAT?!" Regina jumped out of bed and rushed to Emma's side. "Your water broke?! Why are you just standing there all calm?" 

"I feel fine, but we should probably head to the hospital." Regina nodded and waved her hand, dressing them both. Emma smiled brightly, happy to be cleaned up.

"Thanks!"

"Have you had any contractions?" Regina looked for her cell phone and cursed under her breath when she didn't see it on her nightstand. Once again, she used her magic, and her phone appeared in her hand. 

"Yeah, a few, I thought I just imagined it, though. I was just sitting here reading when my water broke, and that made me realize that I didn't imagine it." Emma smiled sheepishly and blushed. Her face soon contorted into pain as a contraction hit her. "Yup, definitely in labor, ugh…"

Regina grabbed Emma's hand and cringed when the blonde squeezed it tight. Once the contractions eased up, Regina led Emma downstairs and into the car. "I'm going to go grab your bag and also let Henry know it's time. Are you okay for a second?" Regina looked at Emma with wide concerned eyes.

"Yeah, go on. I'll be fine. The contractions seem pretty far apart." 

Regina ran back into the house and nearly tripped going up the foyer steps. "Great, break your neck before you can meet your child, Regina. Smooth." She stopped in front of the hallway mirror and waved her hand in front of it. A deeply sleeping Henry was soon visible to her. "Henry." Regina rolled her eyes when her young son didn't even flinch at the sound of her voice. "HENRY!" 

"What?!" Henry sat up straight in his bed and looked around frantically.

"Sorry, sweetheart."

"Mom?" Henry rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine, but it's time--"

"IT'S TIME?!" Henry jumped out of bed before Regina said anymore. His loud outburst summoned a familiar purple magic cloud to form beside him. Gigi appeared with a fireball at the ready in her hand.

"Oh, it's just you." She blew the fireball out and took in the scene before her. "Is everything okay?"

"It's time!" Henry couldn't contain his excitement. Regina was thrilled he was so excited about the baby's arrival.

"Well, I guess we better head over then?" Gigi smoothed her hand over Henry's crazy bed head hair and smiled.

"Her contractions are still pretty far apart, so I think you have time to clean up a bit." She smiled out at the pair. "Can you do me a favor and gather up the Charmings, Zelena, and whatever other odd family members you can think of? I don't believe I'm going to have the time…"

"Of course! We'll handle the gathering of the family. You just get our Savior to the hospital safely so we can meet our newest family member." They shared a smile before Gigi shooed her off to get Emma to the hospital.

Regina called Whale and told him they were on their way into the hospital. Once she gathered all the items she needed, she ran back out to the car and hopped inside. She leaned over and kissed Emma's temple before buckling her seatbelt. "You okay?"

"Yup! No other contractions since you left. Ugh, until right now, thanks!" Emma cringed and fell back into the car seat.

"Let's go!" Regina set off for the hospital as Emma breathed through her contraction.

"Should *deep breath* we call *deep breath* my parents?"

"Gigi and Henry are taking care of it." Emma nodded and continued her breathing exercises. Regina pulled out of the driveway and headed to the hospital.

Pulling up to the ER entrance, Regina was happily surprised the mob that had been waiting for them previously wasn't there. Just a nurse with a wheelchair and Dr. Whale were waiting for them at the doors. 

"Here we are." Regina turned to Emma with tears in her eyes. "Are you ready to meet our little miracle?"

Emma held her hand out, and Regina took it into her own. "More than ready." 

"I love you." Regina brought Emma's hand to her mouth and placed a tender kiss upon it.

Fresh tears filled Emma's eyes at Regina's sweet actions. "I love you too."

Emma's door suddenly opened, and Dr. Whale's bleach blonde head popped into view. "Everything okay?" They both nodded, and he helped Emma from the vehicle and into the wheelchair. "Let's get to birthin'!" They both rolled their eyes at the strange doctor as they entered the building.

* * *

"I'm never doing this again, Regina!" Regina kissed Emma's sweaty forehead as she tried to hide her smile. Emma was doing fantastic, but it was taking a bit longer than they had anticipated, and the blonde was losing her patience. 

"Yes, dear." Emma glared up at her, and Regina couldn't hold back her smile.

"You are so lucky that you are so beautiful." Emma cringed as another contraction hit her.

"Okay, Emma. One last time." Dr. Whale called out. "Push!"

Regina wasn't sure how long it took. Time seemed to suddenly standstill in the tiny sterile room. She held her breath as she watched the doctor smile and hold up their precious newborn child.

"It's a girl!" The nurse took the baby from Dr. Whale to do what needed to be done.

The brilliant sound of their daughter's first cry broke Regina out of her awed state.

"Did you hear that, darling?" She kissed Emma's head and squeezed her hand. "It's a girl."

Emma could only nod as tears streamed down her face. She held open her arms, and the nurse brought over the baby and placed her into Emma's arms. "Look at you." Emma looked up at Regina. "She looks like you."

"I think it might be a bit early for that assessment, dear." Regina reached out to the baby and ran her hand gently over the newborn's head. The tiny girl did have a fair amount of beautiful dark hair.

"No, it isn't. I can see that she's going to be a little mini you already, and I love it." Emma lovingly looked up at her. "I love you."

"I love you." They kissed, and the little bundle in Emma's arms squirmed, causing them both to laugh.

"Do you have a name ready for the birth certificate?" The nurse stood before them, holding a clipboard and looked at them expectantly. 

"We do." Emma smiled up at Regina and nodded.

"Leia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't go with Hope guys... I just couldn't. lol  
I'm thinking just one or two more chapters!  
Thanks so much for reading!!


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